CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Gift in memory of MARY STEPHENS SHERMAN, '13 from JOHN H. SHERMAN, '11 The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029321639 Cornell University Library BT1100 .G88 1809 Truth of the Christian religion In six Clin 3 1924 029 321 639 the; T R U T a THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. IN SIX BOOKS. BY HUGO GROTIUS, CORRECTED AND ILLUSTRATED WITH NOTES BY MR. LE CLERC. ' TO^HICH IS ADDED, A SEVENTH BOOK, CONCERNI'TG THIS QUESTldN, , ffh'at Christian Church we ougk^ to join ikrselves to? BY THE SAID MR. LE CLERC. THE THIRTEENTH EDITION', WITH ADDITIONS, ?ARTICUI.ARLY OJIE WHOLE BOOK OF MR. LE CLERC'S, AGAINST INBIFPERENCE OP WHAT RELIGION A MAN IS OF. pONE INTO ENGLISH BY JOHN CLARKE, D.D. Deaw of Sarum LONDON,: FRINTEDFOR F. C. AND J. RIVINGTON, NO. 62, ST. PADL's CHURCH- YARD ; W. OTRIDGE AND SON, IN THE STRAND; R. BAIiDWiN, NO. 47, AND LONGMAN, HURST, REES, AND ORME, NO. Sg, PATERNOSTER-ROV,'. ■ - I8O9. TO THB MOST REVEREND PRELATE^ THOMAS, IX)RD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, PRIMATE OF ALL ENGLAND. AND METROPOLITAN AND PRIVY-COUNSELLOR ^ TO HER MOST SERENE MAJESTY, THE QUEEN OF GREAT BRITAIN. UPON the reprinting this excel- lent Piece of that great Man, Hugo Grotius, concerning the Truth of the Christian Religion; whereunto I thought fit to add some- thing of my own, and also some Testimonies, from which the good Opinion be had of the Church of A 2 England DEDICATION. England is evident; there was no other Person, most Reverend Pre- late, to whom I thought it so proper for me to dedicate this Edition, with the Additions, as the Primate and Metriipohtan of the whole Church of England. . I therefore present it to -you, as worthy your ProteetioH upon its own Account, and as an Instance of my Respect and Duty towards you.^ I will not attempt htire, either to praise or defend Grotius; his own Virtue and distin- guishing Merits in the Common- wealth of Christians, do sufficiently commend and, justify hini amongst all good and .learned Men. Neither will 1 say any Thing of the Ai pen- dix which I have added ; it i-s so short, that it may be read over al- rnost in an Hour's Time. If it be beneath Grotius, nothing that I can say about it will vindicate me to the c;ensQrious; but if it be. thought not beneath |iim, I need not give any Reasons for joining it with a Piece of his, Pernaps it might be expect- ' ed. DEDICATION. ed, most illustrious Prelate, that I should, as usual, commend you and your Church; but I have more than once performed this Part, and de- clared a Thing known to alh Where- fore forbearing tha/t, I conclude with wishing, that both you and the Reve- rend Prelates, and the Rest of the Clergy of the Church of England^ who are such brave Defenders of the true Christian Religion, and whose Conversations are answerable to it, may long prosper and floiirish : Which I earnestly desire of Al- mighty God. '^T'Z'Z^c^'' JOHN LE CLERC. of March, MDCCIX .^6 THB READER JOHN tE CLERC WISHETH ALL HEALTH. ^HE Bookseller having a Design to re^ print this Piece of Grotius's, / gave him to understand that there were many great Faults in the former Editions ; espej:ially in the Testimonies of the Ancients; which it was his Business should be mended, and that something useful might be added to the Notes: Neither •would it be unacceptable or unprofitable to. the Reader, if a Book were added, to shew where the Christian Religion, the Truth of which this great Man has demonstrated, is to be found in its greatest Purity. He immediately desired me to do this upon his Account, which I willingly undertook out of the Reverence I had for the Memory o/'Grotius, and because of the Useful- ness of the Thing. How I have succeeded in it, I must leave to the candi4^eader's yudgment. I have corrected^MonyErrors of the Press, and perhaps should have done more, tould I have found all the Places, I have added some, but very short Notes, there being very many before, and the Thing not seeming to require more. My Name adjoined, distinguishes them from Gxotius's, / have also added to Grotiu^s a small Book, TO THE READER. Book, concerning, chusing our Opinion and Church amongst so many different Sects of Christians ; in^ which I hope I have offered nothing contrary to the Sense of that great Man, or at least to Truth. I have used such Arguments, as will recommend themselves to any prudent Person, easy and not far-fetched' ; and I have determined that Christians ought to manage themselves so in this Matter, as the most prudent Men usually do in the most weighty Affairs of .Life. I have abstained from all sharp Controversy., and: from all severe Words, which ought never to eriter into our Det.erminatio7is of Religion , if our Adver- saries would suffer it, ' / have declared the Sense of my Mind in a familiar Stile, without any Flourish of Words, in a Matter where Strength of Argument, and not the Entice- inent of Words, is required. Arid herein I have imitated Grotius, whom I think all ought to imitate, who attempt to^ write seriously, and with a Mind deeply affected' with the Gravity of the Argume.nt upon such Subjects. As I was thinking upon these Things, the Letters, which you will see at the End, were sefit me by that honourable and learned Person^ to whose singular Good-nature I am much in- debted^ the most Serene ^wff'wo/Great-Britain's Ambassador Extraordinary to his Royal High- ness the most Serene Great Duke 0/ .Tuscany. I thought with his Leave they might conveni- en-tly be published at the End of this Volume,, that it might appear what Opinion Grotius had TO THE READER. had of the Church (j/" England; which is obliged to him, notwithstanding the Snarling of some Men, who object those inconsistent Opinions, Socinianism, Popery, nay, even Atheism itself, against this most learned arid religious Man; for fear, I suppose, his immortal Wr;itings should' be read, in which their foolish Opinions are entirely confuted. In which Matter, as in many other Things of the like Nature, 'they, have in vain attempted to blind the Eyes of others: But God forgiiti tliem, (for I wish them nothing worje,) and put better Thoughts into theiz Minds, that- we may at last be all joined, by the Love of Truth and Peafe, and be united into one Flock, under one Shepherd ^ Jesus Christ. This, kind Reader,. ^/V wihat . you ought to desire and wish with me ; and may God so be with you, and all that bdong to you, as you promote this Matter, as far as can be, and assist to the utmost of your Power, Farewell. Amsterdam, the Calends of Marchj MDCCIX. TO THE READER. I Have nothing to add to what I said Eight Years since, but only, that in this my second Edition of Grotius, / have put some short Notes^ and correct- ed a great many faults in the Ancient Testimonies. Amsterdam, the Calends of T f^ June. MDCCXVII. O * K/- TO THB MOST NOBLE AND MOST EXCELLENT HIERONYMUS BIGNONIUS, THE KING'S SOLICITOR IK THI SUPREME COURT OF AUDIENCE AT PARIS. MOST NOBLE AND EXCELLENT SIR, I Should offend against Justice, if I should divert another Way that Time which you employ in the Exercise of Justice in your high Station : But I am encouraged in this Work, because it is for the Advancement of the Christian Religion, which is a great Part of Justice, and of your Office ; neither would Justice permit me to approach any one else so soon as you, whose Name my Book glo- ries in the Title of. I do not say I desire to employ Part of your Leisure ; for the Dis- charge of so extensive an Office allows you no leisure. But since Change of Business is instead of Leisure to them that are fully employed, I desire you would, in the Midst of TO HIERONYMUS BIGNONIUS. of your forensic Affairs, bestow some Hours upon these Papers. Even then you will not be out of the Way of your Business. Hear the Witnesses, weigh the Force of their Testimony, make a Judgment, and I will stand by the Determination. Paris, August 27. HUGO GROTIUS. CI3 CI3 XXXIX. TKANSLATOR'S PREFACE ■TO TH« CHRISTIAN READER. THE general Acceptance this Piece of Grotius has met with in the World, encouraged this Translation of it, toge- ther with the Notes; which, being a Collec- tion of ancient Testimonies, upon whose Au- thority and Truth the Genuineness -of the Books of Holy Scripture depends, are very useful in order to the convincing any one of the Truth of the Christian Religion. These Notes are for the most Part Grotius's own, except some few of Mr, Le Clercs, which I have therefore translated also, because I have followed his Edition, as the most correct. The Design of the Book is to shew the Reasonableness ofbelieving and embracing the Christian Religion above any other; which our Author does, by laying before us all the Evidence that can be brought, both internal and external, and declaring the Sufficiency of it; by enumerating all the Marks of Ge- nuineness *rHE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. nuineness in any Books, and applying theni . to the Sacred Writings ; and by making ap- pear the Deficiency of all other Institutions of Religion, whether Pagan, 'Je'wisby or Maho~ metcm. So that the Substance of the Whole is briefly this j that as certain as is the Truth of Natural Principles, and that the Mind can judge of what is agreeable to them; as cer- tain as is the Evidence of Men's bodily Senses, in the most plain and obvious Matters of Facti and as certainly as Men's Integrity and Sincerity may be discovered, and Their Ac- counts delivered down to Posterity faithfully; so certain are we of theTruth of the Christian Religion j and that if it be not true, there is no such Thing as true Religion in the World; neither was there ever, or can there ever be, any Revelation proved to be'from Heaven. This is the Author's Design to prove the Trmh of the Christian Religion in general, against Atheists, Deists, J ews or Mahomejans y and he does not enter into any of the Disputes which Christians have among themselves, but confines himself wholly to the other. Now as the State of Christianity at present is, _were a Heathen or Mahometan convinced of the Truth of the Christian Religion in general, he would yet be exceedingly at a loss to know what Society of Christians to join him- self with; so miserably divided are they among themselves, and separated into so many Sects and Parties, which differ almost 9S widely from each other as Heathens from Chris* THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. Christians, and who are so zealous and con- tentious for their own particular Opinions, and bear so much Hatred and Ill-will to- wards those that differ from them, that there is very little of the true Spirit of Charity, which is the Bond of Peace, to be fou|y] amongst any of them: This is a very great Scandal to the Professors of Christianity, and has been exceedingly disserviceable to the Christian Religion ; insomuch that great Numbers have been hindered from embracing the Gospel*, and many tempted to cast it off, because thejp saw the Professors of it in general agree so lit- tle amongst themselves: This Consideration induced Mr. Le Clerc to add a Seventh Book to those of Grotius; wherein he treats of this Matter, and shews what it becomes every honest Man to do in such a Case; and I have translated it for the same Reason. All that I shall here add, shall be only briefly to inquire into the Cause of so much Division in the Church of Christ, and to shew what seems to me the only Remedy to heal it. First, to ex- amine into the Cause, why the Church of Christ is so much divided : A Man needs but a little Knowledge of the Stateof the Christian, Church, to see that there is just Reason for the same Complaint St. Paul made in the pri- mitive Times pf the Church of Corinth: That some were for Paul, some for Apollos^, and some for Cephas; so very early did the Spirit of Faction creep into the Church of God, and disturb the Peace of it; by setting its Mentibers a^ Variance with each other who THE TRANSWTOB'SXPBEFACE; who ought to have been all of the same corti- mon Faith, into which they where. baptizedj" and I wish it Gould not be? said that the same. Spirit has too much remained amongst Ghds- • tians ever since. It is evidetit that the Foun"- dation of jJie Divisions in the Church of So^ n>7/i», was their forsaking their common Lord * and Master, Jesus Christ, into whose Name alone they were baptised j and uniting them- selves^ some under one eminent; Apostle or Teacher, and some under another, by whom they had been instructed in the Doctrine of Christ, whereby they were distinguished into diflferent Sects, under their several Denomi- nations: This:-St;i Paul complains -of as a Thing in> itself very bad, and of pernicious Consequence; for hereby the body of ChnSt» that is, the Christian Church, the Doctrine of which is one and the same at all Times and in all Places, -is rent and divided? into< se-*- veral Paits, that clash and interfere with each othefi Which is the only Method^ if per* mjttedto have its natural Effect, that can over-si throw and destroy it. And from the same , Cause have arisen all the Divisions that, are ot: have been; in the ; Church < ever since. ? Had Christians l?een contented to; own but one Lord, even Jesus Christ, and made the Doc-f . trine delivered by him the sole Rule of Faith, without any Fictions or Inventions of Men; it had been impossible but that the Church of Chri^ti must have been one universal, re- gular,' uniform Thing, and not such a Mix^ ture aiKl Confusion as we now behold it. 3 But THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. But when Christians once began to establish Doctrines of their own, and to impose them upon othefs, by human Authority, as Rules of Faith, (which is the Foundation of Anti- christ,) then there began to - be as many Schemes of Religion as there were Parties of Men, who had different judgment, and got thei*ower into their Hands. A very little Acquaintance with Ecclesiastical History does but too sadly confirm the Truth of this, by giving us an Account of the several Doctrines in Fashion, in the several Ages of the Christian Church, accoi-ding to the then present Humour. And if it be not so now, how comes it to pass that the Generality of Christians are so zealous for that Schetne of Religion, which is received by that particu- lar Church of which they profess thehiselves Members ? How is it that the Generality of Christrans in one Country are t,-alous for Calvinism, and in another Country as zealous for Armini^nismf It is not because Men have any natural Disposition more to the one than the other, or perhaps that one has much more Foundation tosupport it from Scripture than the other: But the Reason is plain, t}izj Because they are the established Doc- trines of the Places they live in ; they* are by Authority made the Rule and Standarrd of Religion, and Men are taught them from the Beginning ; by this Means they are so deeply fixed and rooted in their Minds, that they become prejudiced in Favour of them, and have so strong a Relish of them, that a they THE THANSLATOR'S PREFACfE. they cannot read a Chapter in the Bible, but it appears exactly agreeable to the received Notions of them both« though perhaps those Notions are directly contradictory to each other: Thus, instead of making the Scrip- ture the only Rule oiF Faith, Men make Rules of Faith of their own, and interpret Scripture according to them ; which being an easy Way of coming to the Knowledge of what they esteem the Truth, the Gene- rality of Christians sit down very weil satis- fied with it. But whoever is indeed con- vinced of the Truth of the Gospel, and has any Regard for the Honour of it, cannot but be deeply concerned to see its sacred Truths thus prostituted to the Power and Interests of Men; and think it his Duty to do the ut- most he is able, to take it out of their Hands, and fix it on it's own immoveable Bottom. In order to contribute to which, I shall in the second Place show, what seems to be the only Remedy that can heal these Divisions amongst Christians ; and that is, in one Word, making the Scripture the only Rule of Faith. Whatever is necessary for a Christian to believe, in order to everlast- ing Salvation, is there declared, in such a Way and Manner, as the Wisdom of God, \yho best knows the Circumstances and Con- ditions of Mankind, has thought fit. This God himself has made the Standar4 for all Ranks or Orders, for all Capacities and Abi- lities: And to set up any other above, or upon the Level with it, is dishonouring God» TUB TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. God, ankJ abusing of Meb . All the Authd» tity in the World cannot make any Thing an Article of Faith, but what God has made SO; neither can any Power estabhsh or im- pose aponMen, more or less, or otherwise than what the < Scripture commands. God ihas: given every Man proportionable FacuU ties and^ Abilities of Mind, some stronger and some weaker; and he has by his own Authority made the Scripture the Rule of Religion to them all: It is therefore their indispensable Duty to examine diligently, and study attentively this Rule, to instruct them- selves in the Knowledge of religious Truths from hence, and to form the bpst Judgment they can of the Nature of them. The Scripture will extiend or contract itself apcord- ing to the Capacities of Men : The strong<3St and largest Understanding will there find enough to fill and improve it, and the nar- rowest and meanest Capacity will fully ac- quiesce in what is there required of it. Thus all Men are obliged to form a Judgment of Religion for themselves, and to be continu- ally rectifying and improving it : They may be very helpful and. assisting to each other in ^h^ Means of cooung to this Divine K.noVfff ledge, but no one can finally determine for another; every Man mu^ judge for hinOr self; and for the Sincerity of his Judgiii«rit he is accountable to God only; who knows the Secrets of all Hearts, which; are beyond the Reach of human Power: Thjs must be left till the final Day of Account, when , j3or» a a every THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. . every'Man shall be acquitted or condemned according as he has acted by the Dictates of his Conscience or no. Were all Christians to go upon this Principle, we should soon see an End of all the fierce Controversies and unhappy Divisions which now rend and con- found the Church of Christ: Were every Man allowed to take the Scripture, for his only Guide in Matters of Faith, and after all the Means of Knowledge and Instruction used, all the Ways of Assurance and Con- viction tried, permitted quietly to enjby his own Opinion, the Foundation of all Divisions would be taken away at once: And till Chris- tians do arrive at this Temper of Mind, let them not boast that they are endued with that excellent Virtue of Charity, which is the distinguishing Mark of their Profession ; for if what St. Pau/ szys be true, that Charity is greater than Faith, it is evident no Chris- tian ought to be guilty of the Breach of a greater Duty upon Account of a lesser : They ought not to disturb that Peace and Unity which ought to be amongst all Christians, for the Sake of any Matters of Faith, any Differences of Opinion ; because it -is con- trary to the known Law of Charity : And how far the gi'eaitest Part of Christians will clear themselves of transgressing this plain Law, I know not. Wherefore, if ever we expect to have our Petitions answered, when we pray that God would make us one Flock under one Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls, yesus Christ; we must cease to make needless Fences THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. Fences of our own, and to divide ourselves into small separate Flocks, and distinguish them by that whereby Christ has not distin- guished them. When this Spirit of Love and Unity, of forbearing one another in Meekness, once becomes the prevailing Prin- ciple amongst Christians; then, and not till then, will the Kingdom of Christ in its highest Perfection and Purity flourish upon the Earth, and all the Powers of Darkness fall before it. * • JOHN CLARKE. THE CONTENTS, BOOK I. SECT. PAGE I. 'jn HE Occasion cf this Work 1 II. -"• That there is a God 3 III. That there is but one God 6 IV. ^11 Perfection is in God 8 V. ^nd in an infinite Degree ibid. VI. That God is Eternal, Omnipotent^ Omni- scient, and completely Good 9 VII. That God is the Cause of all Things . . . ibid. VIII. The OBjection, concerning the Cause of Evil, answered l6 IX. Against Two 'Principles 17 X. That God governs the Universe 18 XI. And the Affairs of this lower World . . . ibid. And the Particulars in it I9 XII. This is further proved by the Preservation of Empires 20 XIII. And by Miracles 21 XtV. But more especially amongst the Jews, wAo ought to be credited uj^on the Account of the Ibrig Continuance of their Religion .... 11 XV. From the Truth and Antiquity of miosis 24 XVI. From Foreign Testimonies 26 XVII. The same proved also from Predictions 71 And by other Arguments 73 XVIII. The THE CONTENTS. SECT. PAGE XVIII. The Ohjection of Miracles not he'mg seen now, answered 75 XIX. -And of there being so much JVickedness TQ XX And that so great, as to oppress good Men TJ XXI . This may be turned upon them, so as to prove that Souls survive Bodies 78 XXII. Which is confirmed by Tradition .... ibid. XXIII. And no Way repugnant to Reason . . 81 XXIV. But many Things favour it . . ^ 84 XXV. From whence it follows, that the End _ of Man is Happiness after this Life .... 86 XXVI. Which we may secure, by finding out the true Religion ibid. BOOK ir. I. That the Christian Jteligion is true ...... 87 II. The Proof that there was such a Person as Jesus ibid. That he died an ignominious Death .... 88 III. And yet after his Death was worshipped by wise Men 89 IV. The Cause of which could be no other, but those Miracles which were done by him . . QO V. Which Miracles cannot be ascribed to any natural or diabolical Power, hut must be from God Ql VI. The Resurrection of Christ proved from credible Teslimony 94 VII. The Objection drawn from the seeming Impossibility of a Resurrection answered ... 98 The Truth of Jesus's Doctrine proved from his Resurrection , 100 VWl. That the Christian Religion exceeds all others' ibid, IX. The Excellency of the Rewards proposed . . 1 1 - X. y^^o- THE CONTENTS. SECT. ' PAGE X. A Solution of the Objection, taken from hence, that the Bodies after their Dissolution cannot be restored 1 05 XL The exceeding, Ptirity of its Precepts, with respect to the Worship of God lOQ XII. Concerning those Duties of Humanity, .which we owe to our Neighbour^ though he has injured us 113 XIII. About the Conjunction of Male and \Female 1 17 XIV. About the Use of temporal Goods .... 1 20 XV. Concerning Oaths . , 123 XVI. Concerning ether Actions . . ibid. XVII. An Answer to the Objection, drawn from the many Controversies among Christians 125 XVIII. The Excellency of the Christian Reli- gion, further 'proved from the Excellency of its Teacher . . .-. .-.'. . 126 From the wonderful Propagation of this Religion 1 30 Considering the fVeakness and Simplicity of those who taught it in the first Age .... 135 XIX. And the great Impediments that hindered ^ , Men from embracing it, or deterred them from professing it . .^ 136 An Answer to those who require more and stri)nger Arguments 139 BOOK III. I. Of the Ai^thority of the Booh' of the New Testflment 142 II. The Books that have any Names affixtd to them, were written by those Persons whose Names they bear , 143 III. Thi tHE CONTENTS. SECT. PAGE III. The Doubt of those Booh, that were for' merly doubtful, taken away 144 IV. The Authority of those Books which have no Name to them, evident from the Nature of the Writings . . . J 45 V. That these Authors wrote what was true, because they knew the Things they wrote about '146 VI. And because they would not say what was false 14; VII. The Credibility of ^hese Ifriters further confirmed, from their bei^g famous for Miracles / 149 VIII. And of their ffritings j^ because in them are contained many Things, which the Event proved to be divinely revealed 151 IX. And^also from the Care that it was fit- God should take, that false Writings should not be forged ; :■ . 1 52 X. A Solution of that Objection, that many Books were rejected by some ibid. XI. An Answer to the Objection of some Things being contained in those Books, that are impossible 156 XII. Or disagreeable to Reason ibid. XIII. An Answer to this Objection, that some Things are contained in those Books which are inconsistent with one another 158 XIV. An Answer to the Objection from exter- nal Testimonies : Where it is shewn they make more for these Books l6o XV. An Answer to the Objection of the Scrip- tures being altered , l62 XVI. The Authority of the Books of the Old Testament ... 105 BOOK THE COlfTBNTS. v BOOK IV. SECT. PAGE I. A particular Confuiaiion of the Religions that differ from Christianity 179 II. And first of Paganism. 7 hat there is but . one God. That created Beings are either good or bad. That the good are not to be worshiped without the Command of the Su- preme God 1 80 III. A Proof that evil Spirits were worMpped by the Heathen^ andth^ tJnworthmess of ii shewn , 181 IV. Against the Heathen Worship paid to de- parted Men ' 1 84 V. Against the Worship given to the Stars and Elements. 185 VI. Against the Worship given to Brute Creatures 186 VII. Against the Worship given to those Things that have.no real Existence , 188 VIII. An Answer to the Objection of the Heefthens, taken from the Miracles done amongst them IQO IX. And ftom Oracles. 1 QS X. The Heatheh R^tligion rejected, because it '- failed of its own Accord^ as soon as human Assistance was wanting , 108 XI. An Answer to this, that the Rise and De- cay of Religion is owing to the Stars. ..... IQQ XII. The principal Things of the Christian Religion were approved of by the wisest , Heathens ; and if there be any Thing iti it hard to be believed,' the like is to be found amongst the Heathens 201 BOOK THE CONTENTS. BOOK V. SECT. PAGE I. A Confutation of Judaism, leginning with an Address to the Jews ,. . . 208 II. That the Jews ought to look upon the Mira- cles of Christ as sufficiently*attested. .... . . 10Q III. An Answer to the Objection, that those Miracles were done by the Help of Devils. . 210 IV. Or hy the Power of Words 212 V. That the Miracles of Jesus were divine, proved from hence, because he taught ., the fVorship of one God, the Maker of the World ibid, VI. An Answer to the Objection, drawn from the Difference betwixt the Law of Moses, and the Law of Christ ; 'whence it is shewn, that there might he given d more perfect .Law than that of Moses. 214 VII. The Law of Moses was observed by Jesus when on Earth, neither was any Part of it abolished afterwards, but^nly those Pre- cepts which had no intrinsic Goodness in them 1\Q VIII. As Sacrifices, which were never accept- able to God upon their own Account. ...... 220 IX. And tke Difference of Meats 226 X. And of Days 230 XI. And external Circumcision of the Flesh . . 232 XII. And yet the Apostles of Jesus easily aU lowed of those Things 234 XIII. A Proof against the Jews, taken from ^ their own Confession of the extraordinary Promise of the Messiah 235 XIV. That he is already come, appears from the Time foretold. ibid. XV. (With an Answer to what is alledged, that his Coming was deferred upon the Ac- count of the Sins of the People) 239 XVI. Also THE CONTIiNTS. SECT. PAGE XVI. Also from the present State of the Jews, compared with the Promises of the Law . . . 240 XVII . Jesus proved to be the Messiah, from those Things that were, predicted of the Messiah. • 243 XVIII. An Answer to what is alledged, that . some Things were not fulfilled .......... 246 XIX. And to that which is objected of the low Condition and Death of Jesus 248 XX. And as though they were good Men who delivered him to Death 252 XXI. An Answer to the Objection of the Chris- tians worshipping many Gods . 25 Q XXII. And that human Nature is worshipped by tJiem . 25^ XXIII. The Conclusion of this Part, with a Prayer for the Jews 262 BOOK VI. I. A Confutation o/"Mahometant^sm ; the Ori- ginal thereof. • • • 1 II. The Mahometans' Foundation overtiMied in thai they do not examine into Religion . . . 268 III. A Proof against the Mahometans, taken out of the sacred Boohs of the Hebrews and Christians; and that they are not corrupted 269 IV. From comparing Mahomet viith Christ . . 2? 1 V. And the Works of each of them 272 VI. And of those who first embraced each of these Religions. . . • • • • * • • • ^73 VII. And of the Methods by which each Lavo , was propagated. .' 274 VIII. And of their Precepts compared with one another • • 276 IX. ^ So- SECT. PAC] IX. A Solution of the Mahometans* O^V/r//on concerniug (he Son of God.. IT'i X. There at e nuiny absurd Things in the Ma- ihometah Books «... I'Ji XI. The Conclusion 1o the Christians; who are admonished of their Duty, upon Oeeasion of the foregoing Things^ Q,fC THE CONTENTS OF Mr. LE CLERC's TWO BOOKS. BOOK I. S^CT. PAGE !• "E^/^ must inquire, amongst what Chris- tians the true Doctrine of Christ flou' A risheth most at this Time 28g II. fVe are to join ourselves with those who are most worthy the Name of Christians 293 III. They are most worthy the Name of Chris- j tians,who, in the purest Manner of all, pro- %^ fess the Doctrine, the Truth of which hath been proved by Grotius. 296 "[S . jCffncerning -the Agreement and Disagree- ment of Christians '. 298 v. iVherice every one ought to learn the Know- ledge of the Christian Religion 302 VI. No- THE CONTENTS. SECT. p^e^ VI. Notiittg else ought to he imposed upttn Christians, but what they can gather from the New Testament , 304 VII. The Providence ofGod^ in preserving the Christian Doctrine, is very wonderfiil, .... 3d6 VIII. j4n jinswer to that Question, Why God permits - Differences and Errors to arise amongst Christians 309 IX. Thty profess and teach the Christian Doc- trine in the purest Manner of all, who pro~ pose those Things only as necessary to be be- lieved, practised, or hoped for, which Chris- tians are agreed in 312 X. All prudent Persons ought to partake of the Sacrament, with those who require nothing else of Christians, hut what every one finds in the Books of the New Testament 314 XI. Concerning Church-Government 317 XII. The ancient Church-Government was highly esteemed by Grotius, without con- demning others 3 1 9 XIII. An Exhortation to all Christians who differ from each other, not to require of one another any Points of -Doctrine, but such as every one finds in the New Testament, and have always been helicved. 320 BOOK II. I. That we ought to have a love for Truth in all Things, but more especially in such as are '£' of great Moment -'324r II. Nothing can be of greater Moment than Re- ligion ; and therefore we ought to use our ut- most Endeavours to came at the true Know- ledge, of it • 32& 3 III. That THE CONTENTS. SECT. PAGE III. That an Indiffererice'^in Religion is in its own Nature unlawful, forbidden hy the Laws of God, and condemned by all Sects of Christians 328 IV. tVe ought not hastily to condemn these who differ from us, as if they were guilty of such a Crime or such unlawful Worship, as is in- consistent with eternal Life ; so that none who admit suih Persons, should be capable of the Merry of God ; nor yet, on the other Hand, is it lawful, for us to profess that we- believe what we do hot really believe; or to do what at the same Time we condemn . . 334 V. A Man that commits a Sin by Mistake^ may he accepted of God, but a Hypocrite cannot . . 338 Testimonies concerning Hugo Grotius's Affection for the Church o/" England 343 fO TH£ HOjtOURABLE hieron;ymus bignonius, HIS MAJESTY'S SOLICITOR IN , •• - , THE CHIEF COURT OP PARIS. BOOK L SECTION 1. jTAe Occasion of this Work* "XtpXJ have frequently inquired of me, wof- thy Sir, (wnpm I know to be a Gentle- man that highly deserves the Esteem of youf Countryj of the learned World, and, if you will allow me to say it, of myself also,) what the Substance of those Books is, which I wrote in Defence of the Christian Religion, in my own Hanguage^ Nor do I wonder at your Inquiry : For you, who have with so great Judgment read every thing that is worth reading, cannot but be sensible with how much Philosophic Nice- ty (a) R(Emundus Sebundtis, with what entertain- (a) Rcemundus Sebmdus, &c..] These were the chieLJS^j^s upon this subject in Grotius's Time ; but, since thenlfa, gr^^ -Numier have wrote concerning the Truth of the OMsH^Ki Kaligion, especially in FrencA and En^^if^; moved thereto by the EkampleofGro/JtiJ, whom they imitated, and sometimes borrowed from him : So that the Qlory of so pious and neces- sary a Method of Writing chiefly redounds to him. Le Ckrc. B ing OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book 1. ing Dialogues Luddvfcics Fives, and with how great Eloquence your Mornemis, have illustrated this Matter. For which Reason it might seem more useful, to translate some of them into our own Ijanguage, than to undertake any thing new upon this Subject. But though I know not what Judgment others will pass upon me, yet I have very good Reason to hope that you, who are so fair and candid a Judge, will easily acquit me, if I should say, that after having read not only the fore-mentioned Writings, but also those that have been written by the Jews in Behalf of the An- cient Jewish Dispensation, and those of Christians for Christianity, I choose to make use of my own Judgment, such as it is ; and' to give my Mind that Liberty, which at present is denied my Bo- dy : For I am persuaded that Truth is no other Way to be defended but by Truth, and that such as the Mind is_ fully satisfied with ; it being in vain to attempt to persuade others to that which you yourself are not convinced of. Wherefore I selected, both from the Ancients and Mo- derns, what appeared to me most conclusive; leav- ing such Arguments as seemed of small Weight, and rejecting such Books as I knew to be spurious, or had Reason to suspect to be so. Those which I approved of, I explained, and put in a regular Method, and in as popular a Manner as I could, and likewise turned them into Verse, that they might the easier be remembered. For my Design was to undertake something which might be use- ful to my Countrymen, especially Seamen ; that they might have an Opportunity to employ that !]K«n<&» which in long Voyages lies upon their I^jjidl, and is usually thrown away : Wherefore Joegan with an Encomium upon our Nation, vvhich so far excels others in the Skill of Navi- gation ; that by this Means I might excite them to Sect, 2.] CI-miSTIAN RELIGION. ■ 3 to make use bf this Art, as a peculiar Favour of Heaven ; not only to their own Profit, but also to the propagating the Christian Religion : For they can never want Matter, but in their logg Voyages will every where meet either \yith Paga^, as in China or Guinea ; or Mahometans, as in the Turkish and Persian Empires, and in the King- doms of Fez and Morocco; and also with Jews, who are the professed Enemies of Christianity, and are dispersed over the greatest Part of the World : And there are never wanting profane Persons, who, upon Occasion, are ready to scatter their Poison amongst the Weak and Simple, which Fear had forced them to conceal : Against all which Evils, my Desire was, to have my Countrymen well fortified ; that they, who have the best Parts, might employ them in confuting. Errors ; and that the other would take Heed of being seduced by them. SECT. II. That there is a God. AND that we may show that Religion is not a vain and empty Thing ; it shall be the Business of this first Book to lay the Foundation thereof in the Existence of the Deity : Which I prove in the following Manner — ^That there are some Things which had a Beginning, is confessed on all Sides, and obvious to Sense : But these Things could not be the Cause of their own Existence ; because that which has no Being, cannot act ; for then it would have been before it was, which is impoMbl^; whence it follows, that it derived its Bemgmr^t something else : That is true, not only of those Things which are now befoi;erour eyes, or which " we have formerly seen ; but also of those Things s 2 out 4 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book I. out of which these have arisen, and so on (a) til we arrive at some Cause, which never had any Beginning, but exists (as we say) necessarily, and not by Accident: Now this Being, whatsoever it be (of whom we shall speak more fully by and' bye) is what we mean by the Deity or God. Another Argument for the Proof of a Deity may be drawn from the plain Consent of all Nations, who have any Remains of Reason, any Sense of Good Man ners, and are not wholly degenerated into Brutish- ness. For human Inventions, which depend upon the arbitrary Will of Men, are not always the same every where; but are often changed ; whereas there is no Place where this Notion is not to be fdund; nor has the Course of Time been able to alter it (which is observed by (b) jiriitotle himself, a Man not very credulous in these Matters ;) wherefore we must assign it a Cause as extensive as all Mankind ; and that can be no other than a Declaration from God himself, or a Tradition derived down from the first Parents of Mankind : If the former be granted, there needs no further Proof ; if the latter, it is hard to give a good Reason why our first Parents would deli- («) Till we arrive at some cause, &c.] Because as their Manner of speaking is, there can. be no such Thing as going on forever;, for of those Things which had a Beginning, either there is some first Cause, or there is none. If it be de-> nied that there is any first Cause,; then those Things which had a Beginning, were without a Cause; and consequently existed, or came of nothing of themselves, which is absurd, iLe Clerc. (b) Aristotle hiniself, &c.] Metaphys. Book XI. Ch. 5. where, after relating the Fables of the Gods, he has these words : 1^ Which, if any one rightly distinguishes, he will keep ^'i^vholly to this as the principal Thing ; that to believe 'the " Gods to be the first, Beings, is a difine Truth ; , And that " though Arts and Sciences have probably been often lost, and " revived ; yet this opinion hath been preserved as aRelick to- " this very Time." Lc Cltrc. Vtt Sect. 2.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 6 ver to Posterity a Falsity in a Matter of so great?^ Moment: R^oreover, if we look into those Parts of the Worldj which have been a long Time ' known, or into those lately discovered ; if they have not lost the common Principles of Human Nature (as was said before) this Truth immedi- ately appears ; as well amongst the more dull Na- tions, as amongst those who are quicker, and have better Understanding ; and, surely, these latter cannot all be deceived, nor the former be sup- posed to have found out something to impose upon 6ach other with : Nor would it be of any Force against this, if it should be urged, that there have been a few Persons in many Ages who did not believe a Godj or at least made such a Profession : For considering how few they were, and that as soon as their Arguments were known, their Opi- nion was immediately exploded j it is evident, it did not proceed from the right Use of that Rea- son ,which is common to all Men ; but either from ah Affectation of Novelty, like the Heathen Phi- losopher who contended that Snow was black ; or fsora a corrupted Mind, which, like a vitiated Pa- late, does not relish Things as they are : Espe- cially since History and other Writings inform us that the more virtuous any one is, the more care- fully is this Notion of the Deity preserved by him : And it is further evident, that they who dissent from this anciently-established Opinion, do it out of an ill Principle, and are such Persons, whose Interest it 'is that there should be no God, that is, no Judge of human Actions-; be- cause whatever Hypotheses they have advanced of their own, whether an Infinite Succession of Causes,- without any Beginning ; or a fortuitous Concourse of Atoms, or any other, {a) it is- at- ^ tended (a) It is attmded with as great^ &c.] Grotius might have f^id, and that not rashly, that there are much greater Diffi- cultiei 6 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book I. tended with as great, if not greater Difficulties, and not at all more credible than what is already received; as is evident to any one that considers it ever so little. For that which some object, that they don't believe a God, because they don't see him ; if they can see any Thing, they may see how much it is beneath a Man who has a Soul which he cannot see, to argue in this Manner. Nor, if •we cannot fully comprehend the Nature of God, ought we therefore to deny that there is any such Being ; for the Beasts don't know what sort of Creatures Mew are, and much less do they under- stand how Men, by their Reason, institute and govern Kingdoms, measure the Course of the Stars, and sail across the Seas: These Things exceed their^each: And hence Mara, because heisplaeed by the Dignity of his Nature above the Beasts, and ifAa^ not by himself, ought to infer, that He, who gave him this superiority above the Beasts, is as far advanced beyond Him, as He is beyond the leasts 5 and that therefore there is a Nature, whicbj, as it is more excellent, so it exceeds his Compre* heqsion. SECT. III. That there is but one God. HAVING proved the Existence of Ihe Defty,. we come next to his Attributes ; the first whereof is, That there can be no more Gods than One.- culties in the opinions of those who would have Jthe World to be eternal, or always to have been ; such as, that it must have come out of nothing of itself, or that it arose from the fortuit- ous Concourse of Atoms ; Opinions full of manifest Contradic- tions^ as many since Grotius's Time have ej^actly demonstrated; amongst whom is the eminent and learned Dr. Bulph Cudteorth, vfho wrote the English Treatise Of the Intellectual System of the Universe : There are also other very excellent English VlU Tj»?s »ud Natural Philosophers. Le Gkpc, . Which Sect. 3,] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 7 Which may be gathered from hence ; because (as was before said) God exists necessarily, or is self- existent. Nowthat which is necessary, or self-exist- ent, cannot be considered as of any ^ind or Species of Beings, but as acti|ally existing, (a) and is there- fore a single Being: for, if you imagine many Gods, you will see that necessary Existence belongs to none of them ; nor can there be any Reason why two should rather be believed than three, or ten than five : Besides the Abundance of particular Things of the same Kind proceeds from the Fruit- fulness of the Cause, in Proportion to which more or less is produced ; "but God has no Cause or Original. Further, particular different Things are endued with peculiar Properties, by which they are distinguished from eadh other ; which do not belong to God, who is a necessary Being. Neither do we find any Signs of many Gods ; for this whole Universe makes but one World, in which there is but (b) One Thing .that far ex- ceeds the rest in Beauty ; viz. the Sun : And in every Man- there is but One Thing that goyerns, that is, the Mind : Moreover, if there could be two or more Gods, free Agents, acting according to their own Wills, they might will contrary to each other ; and so One be hindered by the Other from eflTecting his Design ; now a Possibility of being hindered is inconsistent with the Notion of God. (a) And is therefore a single being, &c.] But a great many ■ single Beings are a great many individual Beihgs ; this Argu- ment therefore might haViQ been omitted, without any Detri- ment to so good a Cause. Le Clerc. * Whoever would see the Argument for the Unity of God, drawn from hb necessary or Self -existence, ' mgiiA in its full Force, may find it at the Beginning of Dr. Samuel Clark's Boyl/s Lectures. (i) One Thing that far exceeds, &c.] At least to the Inha- bitants of this our Solar System, (as we now term it ;) as the fiery Centers the Staisne io other Systems. Le Clerc. SECT. 8 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book I. SECT. IV. ^11 Perfection is'in God. THAT we may come to the Knowledge of the other Attributes of God, we conceive all that Is meant by Perfection to be in Him (I use the Latin Word Perfectio, as being the best that Tongue affords, and the same as the Greek TtXejoTtij-.) Because whatever Perfection is in any Thing, either had a Beginning, or not ; if it had no Beginning, it is the Perfection of God ; if it had a Begin- ning, it must of ffecessity be from something else; And since none of those Things, that exist, 3re produced from nothing ; it follows, that what- ever Perfections are in the Effects, were first in the Cause, so that jt cduld produce any Thing endued with them ; and consequently they are 'all in the first Cause. Neither can the first Cause ever be deprived of any of its Perfections; Not from any Thing else ; because that which is eternal does not depend upon any other Thin^ ; nor can it at all suffer from any Thing that they can do: Nor from itself, because every Nature desii'e^ its own Perfection. SECTV. And in an Infinite Degree. TO this must be added, that these Perfections are in God, in an infinite Degree : Because those Attributes that are finite, are therefore limited, be- cause theCause^ whence they proceed, has commu- nicated so much of themj and no more ; or else, because the Subject was capable of no more. But no other Nature communicated any of its Perfec- tions to God; nor does he derive any Thing from any one else, he being (as. was said) necessary or Bglf-existent, . SECT. Sect. 4, 5, 6, 7.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 9 SECT. VI. That God is_Elernal, Omnipotent, Omniscient, and compTetely Good.. NOW seeing it is very evident, that those Things which have Life, are more perfect than those Which have not ; and those which have a Power of Acting, than those who have none ; those which have Understanding, than those which want it ; those which are good, than those which are not so ; it follows, from what has been already said, that thfese Attributes belong to God, and that infinitely : WTierefore he is a living infinite God ; that is, eternal, of immense Power, and every Way good, withsut the least Defect. SECT. VII. ' That God is the Cause of all Things. EVERY Thing that is, derives its Existence from God; this follows from what has been al- ready said. For we conclude, that there is but one necessary self-existent Being ; whence vveqol- lect, that all other Things sprung from a Being different from themselves : For those things which are derived from something else, were all of them, either immediately in themselves, or me- diately in their Causes, derived from him who had no Beginning,' that is, from God, as was before evinced. And this is not only evident to Reason, but in a Manner to Sense t©o, : For .if we take a Survey of the admirable Structure of a Human Body both within and without ; and see how every, even the most minute Part hath its prcJper Use, without any Design or Intention of the Parents, and with so great Exactness, as the 6 ' ^sInost 10 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book I. most excellent Philosophers and Physicians could never enough admire ; it is a sufficient Demon- stration that the Auth&r of Nature is the most complete Understanding. Of this a great deal may be seen in (a) Gdlen, especially where he examines the Use of the Hands and Eyes : And the same may be ^observed in the Bodies of dumb Crea- tures ; for the Figure and Situation of their Parts to a certain End, cannot be the Effect of any Power in Matter. As also in Plants and Herbs, which is accurately observed by the Philosophers. Strabo {I}) excellently well takes Notice hereof in the Position of Water, which, as to its Quality, is of a middle Nature betwixt Air and Earth, and ought to have been placed betwixt them, but is therefore interspersed and mixed with the Earth, lest its Fruitfulness, by" which the Life of Man is preserved, should be hindered. Novy it is the Pro- perty of intelligent Beings only, to act with some View. Neither are particular Things appointed for their own peculiar Ends only, but for the Good of the Whole ; as is plain in Water, which .-.*>■ ■ (fl) In Galen, &c'] Book HI. Ch. 10. Which Place is highly worth reading, but too long to be inserted. But many later- Divines and Natural. Philosophers in England have explained these things more accurately. Le Clerc. (,b) Strabo, kc] Bo~ok XVH. Where after he had distin- guished betwixt the Works of Nature, that is, the material World, and those of Providence, he adds ; " After the Earth. " was surrounded with Water, because Man was not made ♦' to dwell in the Water,' but belongs partly to the Earth " and partly to the Air, and stands in great Need of Light ; " Providence has caused many Eminences and Cavities in " the Earth, that in these, the Water, or the greatest Part " of it, might be received ; whereby that Part of the Earth , " under it might be covered ; and that by the other, the. " Earth might be advanced to cover the Water, "^except what ' " is of Use for Men, Animals, and Plants." The same hath been observed by Rabbi Jehuda Leveta, and Abenesdra, amongst the Jews, and St. Chrysostom in his gth Homily of Statutes among Christians. con- Sect, 7.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. U (a) contrary to its own Nature is raised upwards; lest by a Vacuum there should be a Gap in the Structure of the Universe, which is upheld by the continual Union of its Parts. Now the Good of the Whole could not possibly be designed, nor a Power put into Things to tend towards it, but by an intelligent Being, to whom the Universe is subject. There are moreover some Actions, even of the Beasts, so ordered and directed, as plainly discover them to be the Effects of some small Degree of Reason : As is most manifest in Ants and Bees, and also in some others, which, before they have experienced them, will avoid Things hurtful, and seek those that are profit- able to them. That this Power of searching out and distinguishing, is not properly in them- selves, is apparent from hence, because they act always alike, and are unable to do other Things which don't require more Pains, (i) wherefore (a) Contrary to its oxen Nature, &c^] This was boi rowed from the Peripatetic Philosophy, by tlais great Man ; which • supposed' the Water in a Pump to ascend for Fear of a Vacuum; whereas it is now granted by all to be done by the Pressure of -the Air. But by the Laws of Gravitation, as tKe Moderns explain them, the Order of the Universe, and the Wisdom of its Creator, are no less conspicuous. Le Cl,erc. (b) Wherefore they are acted upon, &c.] No, they are done, oy the Soul of those Beasts, which is so far reasonable, as to be able to do such Things, and not others. Otherwise God himself would act in them instead of a Suul, which a good Philosopher will hardly be persuaded of.' Nothing hinders but that there may be a great many Ranks of sensi- ble and intelligent Natures, the lowest of which may be in the Bodies of Brute Creatures ; for nobody, I think, i-eally believes with lUn, Cartes, that Brutes are mere corporeal Machines. But you will say, when Brute Creatures die, what becomes of the Soul ? That indeed I know not, . but it is nevertheless true that Souls reside in them. There is no Necessity that we should know all Things, nor are we therefore presently to deny any Thing because we cannot give Account ofit. We are to receive those Things that are evi- dent, and be content to be ignorant of those Things which we Cannot know. Ifi Clert, they 12 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book I. they are acted upon by some foreign Reason ; and what they do, must of Necessity proceed from the Efficiency of that Reason impressed upon them : Whi<^ Reason is no other than what we call God. i^ext, the Heavenly Constellations, but more espe- cially those eminent ones, the Sun and Moon, have theirCoursessoexactlyaccommodated to the Fruit- fulness of the Earth, and to the Health of Ani- mals, that nothing can be imagined more conve- nient: For though otherwise, the most simple Mo- tion had beea along the Equator, yet are they directed in an oblique Circle, that the Benefit of them might extend to more Places of the Easth. And as other Animals are allowed the Use of the l^acth, so Mankind are permitted to use those Ani- mals, and can by thePower of his Reason tame the fiercest of them. Whence it was that (a) the Sto- ichs concluded that the World was made for the Sake of Man. Bifit since the Power of Man does not extend so fap as to compel the Heavenly Lu- minaries to serve him, nor is it likely they should of their own accord submit themselves tO|,him ; Ken,9fe itfoljows, that thereisa superior Understand- ing, at vshose Command those beautiful Bodies af- ford theift perpetual Assistance to Man, who is placed so fa/Setieath them : Which Understanding is none other than the Maker of the Stars and of the Universe, {b) The Eccentric Motions of the Stars, (a) The Stoicjcs concluded, &c.] See TuUi/ in his^ first Book pf Offices, and his second of the Nature of the Gods. (b) The Eccentric J^otions, &c.] This argument is learti' edly handled by Maimonides, in his Ductor Dubitantium, Part II. c. 4. And if you suppose the Earth to be ^pved, it ■mounts to the same Thing in other Words. Ibid. These and some of the following Things are accord- ipg to the vulgar Opinion, which is now exploded; but the Efficacy of . the JJivine Power is equally seen in the constant Motion of the Planets in Ellipsis, about the Sun, through the most fluid Vortex; in such a Manner as not to recede from, or approach to, their Centre, more than thejf Sect. 7.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 15 Stars, and the Epicycles, as they term them, ma- nifestly show, that they are not the EfFegts of Matter, but the Appointment of a free Agent'; and the same Assurance we have from the Position of the Stars, some in one Part of the Heavens, and some in another ; and from the unequal Form of the Earth an<^ Seas : Nor can we attribute the Mo- tion of the Stars, in such a Direction, rather than another, to any Thing else. The very Figure of the World, which is the most perfect, viz. round, and all the Parts of it inclosed, as itwere, intheBo- som of the Heavens, and placed in. wonderful Or- der, sufficiently declare, that these Thingswerenot the Result of Chance, but the Appointment of the most excellent Understanding: For can any one be so foolish, as to expect any Thing so accurate from Chance ? He may as soon believe, that Pieces of Timber, and Stones, should frame themselves into a House; (i) or that from Letters thrown at a Ven- ture, there should arise aPoem; when the Philoso- pher, w ho saw only some Geometrical Figures on the Sea-sftore, thought them plain Indibations of a Man's having been there, such Things not looking as if they proceedecf from Chance. Besides, that Mankind were not from Eternity, 1but date their Original from a certain Period of Time, is clear, as from other Arguments, so from the* Improvement . ' ' '^ . pf their wonted Limits, but always cut the Sun's Equator at like Obliquity. LeClerc. Sir Isaac Newton has demonstrated that there are no such Vortexes, but that their Motions are better explained without them. (6) Into a House, &c.] Or Ship or Engine. • The Improvement of Arti, &cj] TerluUiaA Ucdts of this Matter, from History, in his Book concerning the Saul, Sect. 30. Wefind (says he) in all Commentaries, especially of the Antiquities of Men, that Mankind increase by Degrees, &c. And a little after, The (Vorld manifestly improvts every Day, and grows wiser than it was. These two Arguments caused Aristotle's Opinion (who would jiot allow Mankind any Beginning) .14 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book I. of Arts, and those desert Places, which came after- wards to be inhabited ; and is further evidenced by the Language of Islands, plainly derived from the neighbouring Continents. There are moreover certain Ordinances so universal amongst Men, that they don't seem so much to owe theirlnstitutionto the Instinct of Nature, or the Deductions of plain Reason, Beginning) to be rejected by the learned Historians, especially the Epicureans. Lucretius, Boole V, ' , If Heaven and Earth had no Original, HoxD U it, that before the Trojan i£ar, No Poets sung of Memorable Things ; Rut Deeds of Heroes dy'd so oft with them ; And no where Monuments raised to their Praise f This shews the World is young and lately rAade. Whence 'tis that Arts are every Day encreas'd, Or fresh renew'd; and Ships so much improv'd, And Music to delight the Ear. With a great Deal more to the same Purpose. Virgil, Eclogue VI. From these first Principles All Things arose, hence sprung the tender World. .^^ And in his Georgicks. Usefirst produc'd those various Arts we see, By small Degrees ; this taught the Husbandman To plow and sow hisfelds ; from the hard Flint To fetch the hidden sparks ; then Man began With hollow Boats to cross the Stream ; Pilots ; Call'dHyzdcs and Pleiades their Signs, And Charles's Wain : Then Sportsmen spread their Nets To catch wild Beasts, and Dogs pursued their Game. Some drain the Rivers, and some seek the Main, Stretching their Nets to inclose thefinny Prey : Others with Iron Forge whet Instruments To cleave the yielding Wood : Then Arts arose. Horace, Book I. Sat. HI. When first Mankind began to spread the Earth, lake Animals devoid of Speech, they strove With utmost Strength of Hands, for Dens and Acornf; From thence to Clubs, and then to Arms they came, '" Taught by Experience ; till Words expressed Their Meaning, and gave proper Namei to Things: Then Sect. 7.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION* 15 Reason, as to a constantTradition, scarcely inter- rupted inany Place, either by Wickedness or Mis- fortune : Of which Sort were formerly Sacrifices, amongst holy Rites ; and now Shame in Venereal Things, the Solemnity of Marriage, and the Ab- horrence of Incest. , SECT. Then ended JFars, Cities were built, and Laws Are made/or Thieves, Adulterers^ and Rogues, Pliny in his third Book of Natural History, about the Be- ginning : Wherefore I would be so understood, as the Words them- selves signify, without the Flourish of Men, and as they were understood at the Beginning, before any great exploits were performed. The same Author affirms, that the Hercynian Wood (in Germany) was coeval with the World, Bobk XVI. Seneca, in Lactantius, It is not a. Thousand Years since Wisdom had a Beginning. Tacitus' s Ann&h, III. The first Men, be- fore Appetite and Passion saayed them, lived without Bribes, and without Iniquity ; and needed not to be restrained from Evil by Punishment : Neither did they stand in Need ef Re- ward, eoery one naturally pursuing Virtue; for so long as no- thing was desired contrary to Morality, they wanted not to be restrained by F^ar : But after they laid aside Eqiiity and Virtue, Violence and Ambition succeeded in the Room of Honesty and Hu- mility ; then began that Power which has always continued amongst some People. But others immediately, or at least after they grexo weary of Kings, preferred a legal Government. And Aristotle could not fully persuade himself, any more than others, of the Truth of his own Hypothesis, that Man- kind never had any Beginning. For he speaks very doubtfully of the Matter in many Places, as Moses Maimonides observes in his Diictor Dubitantium, Part II, In the Prologue to his Second Book, concerning tho^^Heayens, he calls his Position, only a Persuasion, and not a Demonstration ; and there is a Saying of the same" Philosopher in the Third Book of the Soul, Chap. III. That Persuasion is a Consequence of Opi- nion. But his principal Argument is drawn from the Absur- dity of the contrary Opinion, which supposes the Heavens and the Universe not to be created, but generated; which is inconsistent. Book XI. of his Metaphysicks, Chap. 8. he says. It is very likely that Arts have often been lost, and in- vented again. And in the last Chapter of tne Third Book of the Generation of Animals, he has these words, It would be a foolish Conjecture, concerning the first Rise of Men and Beasts, if any one sliould imagine, that of old they sprung out of the Earth orif of these two ways, cither after the Manner 16 OF THE TRUTH OF THE (Booht. SECT. vm. T/ie ONeetion concerrdvg the Cause ofEvil, answeredt NOR ought we to be in theleast slfaken in what has been said, because we see many Evils happen, the Original of whicll cannot be ascribed tq God, who, as was affirmed of him, is perfectly good^ For when we say, that God is the Cause of all Things, we mean of all such Things as have a real Existence ; which is no Reason why those Things themselves should not be the Cause of some Acci- dents, such as Actions are. God created Man, and some other Intelligences superior to Man, with a Lilaerty of Acting; which Liberty of Ac^ting is not in itself evil, but may be (a) the Cause of some- thing of Maggots, or to have come from Eggs. After his Expli- - cation of each of these, he adds, Jf therefore Animals had am/ J^eginning, it is manifest it mjist be one of these iwa iiays. The iSiTat Aristotle, in the first of his Topiths, Chap. XI. There are some Questions against iihich very good Arguments may be brought; (it being rery doubtful which Side is in the right, there being great Probubility on either Hand) toe have no Certainty of them : And though they be of great Weight, we find it very difficult to determine the Cause and Manner of their Existence; as for Instance, whether the World werefrom^ Eternity, or no : For such Things as these are disputable. And again, disputing about the same Thing, in his lirst Booij of the Heavens, Chap. X, What shall be said will be the more credible, if we allow the Disputants' Arguments their dtie Weight, Tatian therefore did well not to pass by this, where he brings his Reasons for the Belief of the Scriptures, That what they deliver, concerning the Creation of the Universe, is leiel to every one's Capacity, If you take Plato for the World's having a Beginning, and Aristotle for its having had none ; you will have seen both the Jewish and Christian Opinions. (a) The Cause of something that is Evil, &c.3 God indeed foresaw, that^ free Agents would abuse their Liberty, ' and that many natural and moral Evils would arise fr,om hence ; y?t did not this hinder him from permitting such Abu»e, and Sect. S, 9.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 1? thing that is evil. And to make God the Author of Evils of this Kind, which are called Moral Evils, is the highest Wickedness. But there are other Sorts of Evils, such as Loss or iPain inflicted upon a Person, which may be allowed to come from God, suppose for the Reformaiion of the Man, or as a Punishment which his Sins dqservet For here is no inconsistency with Goodness ; but on the contrary, these proceed from Goodness it- self, in the sanie Manner as jPhysickj unpleasant to the Tastej does from a good Physiciani SECT. IX. Against Two Principled. And here by the Way we ought to reject their Opinion, who inlagine that there are (a) two Ac* tive Principles, the one Good, and the other Evil. For from Two Principles, that are contradictory to each other, carv arise no regular Order, but only Ruin and Destruction : Neither can there be a self-existent Bping perfectly Evil, as there is one self-existent peffectly Good ; Because Evil is a Defect, which cannot reside but in something ftnd the Consequences thereof; any more than it hindered his creating Beings endued with such Liberty. The Reason is plain. Because a free Agent bqing the most excellent Crea- ture, which discovers the highest Power of the Creator, God was unwilling to prevei)t those Inconveniences which proceeej from the Mutability of their Mature, because he can ameni (hem as be pleases to all Eternity ; in such a manner as is agree- able to his t>wn Goodness, though he has not yet revealed ii; to us. Concerning which we have largely treated in French, in a Book wrote against Pel. Bayle^ the seeming Advocate qf the Manic/iees. he Clerc. (a) Two active Principkt, &c.) This has Respect to the itncieht Disciples oiZoroasires, And to 1^? Mank/iees. Le Clerg, ^ C. which 18 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book I; which has a' Being ; (a) and the very having a Be- ing is to be reckoned amongst the Things which are Good. SECT. X. That God Governs the Universe^ THAT the World is governed by the Prov^*- dence of God, is evident from hence : That not only Men, who are endued with Understanding ; but Birds, and both wild and tame Beasts (who are led by instinct, which serves them instead of Understanding) take Care of, and Provide /or, their Young. Which Perfection, as it is a Branch of Goodness, ought not to be excluded from God: And so much the rather,, because he is ^ll-wise, and All-powerful,' and cannot but know -every Thing that is done, or is to be done, and with the greatest Facility direct and govern them : To, which we may add, what was before hinted, concerning the Motion of particular Things con- trary to their own Nature, to promote the Ggod of the Whole. SECT XI. And the Affairs of this Lower World. AND they are under a very great Mistake, who confine this Providence (b) to the heavenly Bo- dies : As appears from the foregoing Reason,which holds as strong for all created Beings ; and more- over from this Consideration, that there is an especial (a) And the very having a Being, &c.] But here the lAuthor was speaking'.of moral and not -of natural Good. It had there- fore been better to have foreborn such kind of reasoning. Le Clefc. (6) To the Heavenly Bodies, &c.] This was the Opinion of 'Afintotle. See Ptvtarch coDcerning (he OpinJOBs of the Phi- iosbphers. Sict. 16, 11.] Christian reLigicIn. i'§ especial Regard had to (a) the Good of Man, in the Regulation of the Course of the Stars, as is confessed by the best Philosophers, and evident from Experience. And it is reasonable to conceive, that the greater Care should be taken of that, foi: whose sake the other was made,^an of that which is only subservient to it. ^nd the Particulars in if. NEITHER is their Error less, (b) who allov(^ the Universe to be governed by Him, but not the particular Things in it. For, if He were ignorant of some particular Thing (as some of them say. He would not be thoroughly acquainted with himself. Neither will his Knowledge fee infinite (as we have before proved it to be) if it does not extend to In- dividuals. Now, if God knows all Things, what should hinder his taking Care of them ? Especially since Individuals,- as such, are appointed for. some certain End, either Particular or General: And Things in General, (which they themselves ac- knowledge to be preserved by God) cannot sub- sist but in their Individuals: So that if the Par- ticulars be destroyed by Providence's forsaking them, the Whole must be destroyed too, losophers, Book LI. ch, 3. and Atticas in $,us^Uus*s Gospet Preparation, Book V. ch, 5. Le Clerc. (a) The Good of Man, &c.] Though not for man onlyy for it doth not appear that there are no other intelligent Beings in other Planets; yet partly for hira, and so far as He makes Use of them without any Detriment to other. Creatures. Be* cause we cannot live without the Sun, we ma.y well conclude it •was made upon our Account j unless we cau ipiiagine Chance provided every Thing that is necessary for us ; which is very Absurd : Just like a Man, ivho happening upon a House veil furnished, should deny that it was built for the Convenience of Itfen» who are alone capable of enjoying it, Le Clerc, (6) JVAo alloxe the Universe, &c.] This was the Opinion of the Stoicks : See Arrms's Dissertations upon Epictetui, Hook I. ch. I?, and Justin IMsius, in his Stoical Phpmlogi/, Le Clerc/ C2 SECT. 20 , OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book I. SECT. XII. This is further proved by the Preservation of Empires, THE Preservation of Commonwealths hath been acknowledged, both by Philosophers and Historians, to be no mean Argument for the Di- vine Providence over Human Affairs. First, in General ; (a) because wherever good Order in Go- vernment and Obedience hath been once admit- ted, it has been always retained ; and, in particular, eertain Forms of Government have- continued for many Ages ; as that of Kings among the Assyrians^ ■Mgyptians, and Franks ; and that of Aristocracy among the F'enetians. Now though human Wis- ddm may go a good Way towards this; yet, if it be duly considered what a Multitude of wicked Men there are, how many external Evils, how liable Things are in their own Nature to change ; we can hardly imagine any Government should subsist so long without the peculiar care of the Deity. And this is more visible where it has pleased God (b) to change a Government : For all Things (even those which do not depend upon human Prudence) succeed beyond their Wish (which they do not or- dinarily in the Variety of human Events) to those whom God has appointed Instruments for this Purpose, as it were, destined by him ; (suppose Cyrus, Alexander^ Ccesar the Dictator,(c) the Cingi amongst Ca) Because viherever good Order, &c,] 'Because \yithout it tTiere is no such Thing as human Society, and without Society Mankind cannot be preserved : Whence we may collect, that Men were crearted by Divine Providence, that they might live in Society, and make Use of Laws, without which there neither is nor can be any Society. Le Clerc, {h) To change a Government, &c.] Thus Lucretius : Some secret Cause confounds the Exploits of Men. (c) The Cingi aniongst the Tai"tars, &c.] He seems to mean Gsnhiz Can, who came out of Eastern Tartari/, und out of the I City Sect. 12, 13.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 4 1 amongst the Tartars,{a) Namcaa amongst the Chi- nese :) Which wonderful Agreeableness of Events, and. all conspiring to a certain End, is a manifest Indication of a Provident Direction. For though a Man may now and then throw a particular Cast on a Die by Chance; yet, if he should do it a hundred Times together, every Body would con- clude there was some Art in it. SECT. XIII. ^nd by Miracles. BUT the most certain Proof of Divine Provi-. denee is from Miracles, and the Predictions we 6nd in Histories : It is true, indeed, that a great many of those Relations are fabulous ; but there i« no Reason to xlisbelieve those which are attested by credible Witnesses to have been in their Time, Men whose Judgment and Integrity have never been called in Question. . Fbr since God is All- knowing and All-poft-erful, why should we think him not able to signify his Knowledge or his Re- solution to act, out of |he ordinary Course of Na- ture, which is his Appointment, and subject to hjs Direction and Government? If any one should object against this, that inferior intelligent Agents may be the cause of them, it is readily granted ; and this tends to make us believe it the more easily of God : Beside, whatever of this Nature is City Caracorom, and subdued not . only Tartary, hut also the Northern Sina and India. From him sprung ay, &c.i Hecatmm concerniiig the Joss which lived before the time oi Alexander, has these Words : " Though they be severely reproached by their Neighbours " and by Stl'^ngers, and many Timts harslily treated by the " Persian Kings and Nobility ; yet they cannot be brought off " from their Opinion, biit will undergo the '.^ost cruel Tpr- " ments and sharpest Peaths, rather than fors-.ke the Religion " of t\eir Country." Josephus preserved this Place, in his first Book against Appion : and he adds another example out of the s.aid Ifecalceus, relating to Alexander's Time, Whej.-ein the Jewish Soldiers peremptorily refused to assist at the repairing the Temple of the God Belus, And the same Josephus has very -well shewn, in his other Book against Appion, that the firm Persuasion of the Jews of old, concerning God's being the Author of their Law, is from hence evident, because they have not dared, like other people, to alter any Thing in their Laws ; not even then, when in long, Banishments, under foreign Princes, they have been tried by all Sorts of Threatnings and Flatteries. To this we mayadd something of Tacitus about, the Proselytes : "All that are converted to them, do tl?e like; "for the first Principle they are instructed in, is to have a " Contempt of the Gods ; to lay aside their Love to their ♦.' Country^ij. Sect U.]. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 23 of the World ; when (a) all other Religions (ex- cept the Christian, which is as it were the Perfec- tion of the Jetvish) have either disappeared as soon as they are forsaken by the Civil Power and Au- thority (as all the Pagan Religions did) ; or else they are yet maintained by the same Power as Ma- hometanism is : For, if any one should ask, whence it is that the Jewish Religion hath taken so deep Root in the Minds of ail the Hebrews, as never to be faced out ; there can be no other possible Cause assig^ied or imagined than this, that the present Jews recdved it from their Parents, and they from theirs, and so on,. till you come to the Age.in which Moses and Joshua lived : They received, I say, (i) by a certain and uninterrupted Tradition, the Miracles which were worked, as in other Places, so more especially at their coming out oi jEgypt, ixi their Journey, -and at their Entrance into Ca- naan% of all which, their Ancestors themselves were -Witnesses. Nor is it in the least credible, that a People of so obstinate a Disposition could ever be persuaded any otherwise, to submit to a Law loaded with so many Rites and Ceremonies ; or that wise men, amongst the many Distinctions of Re- "CouHtry, and to have no Regard for their Parents or Bi:e- " thren." That is, when the law of God comes in competi- tion with them; which this profane Aulhor unjustly blames. See further what Porphyry has delivered about, the Constancy of the Jews, in his Second and Fouitli Books, against eating of Jiving Creatures j where he mentions Antiochus, and particu- larly the Constancy of the Essenes amongst the Jaos. (a) All other Religions, &c/\ Even those so highly com- mended Laws of Lycurgiis, as is observed by Josephus and Theodoret. -(&) By a certdia and uninterrupted Tradition, &c,] To ^(hjch we give Credit, because it was worthy of God to institute a Religion in which it was taught that there was one God the Creator of all Things, who is a Spiritual Being, and is ^lone t.o \ije worshipped. Le Clerc. ligion 24 OP THE TRUTH OP THE -[fiook I, ligion which Human Reason tnight invent, should choose Circumcision : which could not be per- formed (a) without great Pain, and (b) was laughed at by all Strangers and had nothing, to recommend it t>ut the Authority of God. SECT. XY. From the Truth and An^iijuily q/" Moses. THIS also gives the greatest Credit imaginable to the Writings of Moses, in which these Miracles are recorded to Posterity ; that there was not only a settled Opinion and constant Tradition amongst the Jews that this Moses ^s appointed by the express Command of God himself to be the Lead- er and Captain of this People : but also becaus6 (as is very evident) he did not make his own Glory and Advantage his principal Aim, but He himself relates those Errors of his own,, which He could have concealed ; and delivered the Regal and Sacerdotal Dignity to others (permitting his, own Posterity to be reduced only to common Le- viles.) All which plainly shew, that he had no. Occasion to falsify in his History ; as the Style of It further evinces, it being free from that Varnish and Colour^ which uses to give Credit to Roman-, ces ; and is very natural and easy, and agreeable to the Matter of which it treats. Moreover, another Argument for the undoubted Antiquity of Afo-je*'* Writings, which no other Writings can pretend to, is thisi that the Greeks (from vvhom all other (a) Without greitt Pain, &c.] Philo says, It was done with Vejy greaf Pain, (b) Was laughed at, &C.3 The same Phih says, Tt was a ^iing laughed at by every body : Whence the Jews by the Poets «re called Ciopt, Circumcised, Fore-^skinned. Nation* $ect. 15.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 33 Nations derived their Learning) own, that they (a) had their Letters from Foreigners; which Letters of theirs have the same Order, Name, (b) and Shape, as the Si/riac ov Hebrew : And further (a) Had their Letters, &c.] H€redatvs in his Terpsichore says, " That the lonians had their Letters from the Phamicians, " and used them, with very little Variation ; which afterwards " appearing, those Letters were called Phoenician (as they ought " to be) from the Phceniciaiis bringing them into Greece" Hu palls them, The Phoenician Characters QfCadmus, ^nd CalUmachtts ; • ^-: — r- Cadmus,/ra»» whom the Greeks Their written Books derive. And Plutarch calls them Phoenician or Punic Ijettprs, in hit Ninth Book, and Third Prob. of his Symposiachs, where he says, that Alpha^ in the Phcenidan Language, signifies an Oi, which is very true. Eupolemus, in his Books of the Kings of Judaa, says, " That Moses was the first wise Man, and that " Letters were first given by him to the Jfius, and from them "the Phxuicians received them ;" that is, the anciejit Lan* guage of the Jeivs and Phanicians was the same, or very little different. Thus Lucian : He spake some indistitKt Wm'ds, like the Hebrew or Phcenician. And Clwerilus in'Ws Verses con- cerning the SoUni, who, he says, dwelt near the Lake, I sup« pose he means Asphaltites. These with their Tongues pronounced Pboeniciitn Words, See also the Pun/c Scene of Plautus, where you have the Words that are put in the Punic. Language tvyice, by reason of tht! double Writing ; and also the iiz^zn Translation ; whence ypu may easily correct what is corrupted. And as the Phoenician and Hebrew Language were the same, so are the ancient Hebrew Letters the same with those of the Phanicians. See the great Men about this Matter. Joseph Scaliger's Diatriba of the Eusebiun Year cb bcxvii. and the First Book, Oh. X. of Gerard Vossius's Grammar (and particularly Sam. Bochart, in his Chanaan. You may add also, if you please, Clement of Alexandria, Strom. Book I. and Eusebius's Gospel Preparation, BookX. Ch, 5. (6) And Shape, fij.c.'] He means the Samaritan Letters, which ape the same as the Phxnician, as Lud, Capel^ Sam. Bo' ■fhart, and others have shewn. I also have treated nf the same in French, in the Biblioth. Select, Vol, XI. Le Clerc. , Still, ^ OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book L Still, the most ancient (a) Atlick Laws, from whence the Roman were afterwards taken, owe their Original to the Law of Moses. SECT. XVL 'from Foreign Testimonies, To these we may add the Testimony of a great Number, who were Strangers to the Jewish Reli- gion, which shews that the most ancient Tradition among all Nations, is exactly agreeable to the Re- lation of Moses. For his description of the Ori- ginal q^^e World is almost the very same as in (a) 4Uk^ Laws, &c.] You have a faraous instance of this, in Thieves that rob by Night, which we have treated of in the Secoad Book of War and Peace, Ch. I. Sect. 12. and another . Jn, film Law which Sopater recites, Let him ihaC is. next a-lcin possess the Heiress; which is thus explained by Terence: - There is a '".'.w» ^ tohich TVido'ws ought to be married to the i* next Kinsmen J and the sttmv Law obliges these Kinsmen tn inarr^ them. Donatus remarks upon this Place thus : That iheWidoxc should he married to the next Kinsman, and he marry her, is the Attick Law, viz. taken from the Law of Moses, in the last Chap, of Numbers, which we shall have opportunity of speaking more of afterwards, A great many other Things may be found to this Purpose, if any one search diligently for them: As the Feast.in which they carried Clusters of Grapes, taken from the Feast of Tabernacles ; the Law that the High Priest should marry none but a Virgin, and his Countrywoman 5 that next after Sisters, Kinsmen by the Father's side should inherit: Wherefore the Attick Laws agree with many of thp Hebrew, because the Atticks owe many of their Customs to Cecrops', King oi Egypt; and because God established many Laws amongst the Hebrews-, very, much like those of the Egyptians, to whigh thfey had been ac- customed, only reforming such Things as were bad in them ; as we have often'-observed in our Notes upon the Pentateuch, and before, as Jolm Spencer in his Book about the Kitual L4vy& of the Jews, Le Clerc. the ■Sect. 16.] CHRISTIAN RELtGION. « the (a) ancient Phoenician Histories, which are translated by Philo Biblius from SanchuniatkorCs Collection ; (a) Ancient Phoenician Histories, Sic."] Euscbius has preserved them for us in his First Book, Chap. 10. of his Preparation. " The Theology of the Phoenicians supposes tlic Foundation " of the Universe to have been a dark and windy Air, or the " Breath of a dark Air, and a dismal Chaos, covered with " thick Darkness ; that these were infinite, and had no Bounds " for many Ages. But when this Spirit or Breath placed its " Desire or Love on these first Principles, and a Mixture was " produced thereby, this Conjunction was called Love: This •' was the Beginnisg of lh& Creation of all Things ; but the •' Breath, or Spirit, was not created ; and from its Embraces "proceeded Mar, Mot, which some caH Mud, others the Cor- " ruption of a watery Mixture. This was the Seminary, and " from hence were all Things produced." In M3^sa£s iji^tory we find the Spirit or Breath', and the Darkness ; SLM^iaJ^ebrev Word riBnlK) Merachepheth, signifies heme, Plutarch, Symposiack VIII. Prob. I. explaining of Plato, says, that God is the Father, of the World, not by the Emission of Seed, but by a certain generative Power infused into Matter ; which he illuslf^s by this Similitude; s^ Thefemah Bird is oft impregnated By the quic^ Motioti of the Wind, And MuT, Mot, Dtai whence the Greeks derive their M«()S>», Mutho^i signifies in Hebrew t=)inn dehorn, in Greek "Aft/rcr®- an Abyss already in Motion. For "aSmto-®-, Abyssos, is in JSn. nius nothirig else but Mud, if I understand him right. From. Muddy Tartarus a Birth Gigantick sprung. Tiiis mud separated into Earth and Sea. Apolonius in the lYth of his Argonauticks, The Earth's produced from Mud. Upon which Place the Scholiast says ; " Zeno affirms. That the " Chaos in Hesiod is Water, of which all Things were made ; " the Water subsiding made Mud, and the Mud congealing '* made solid Earth." Now this Zeno was a P/uxnician, a Colony of wliom were planted in Cittium, whence the Hebrews call all beyond the Seas C3»nD Chittim. Not-much different from which is that of Virgil, Eclogue VL Then Earth began to harden, and include The Seas within its Bounds,^ and Things to lake Their proper Forms. Nwneniitg^ 23 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book I. Kumenius, cited by Porphyry, about the Njinph's Den, af- firms, That it was said by the Prophet (meaning Mpses) that the Spirit of God was moved upon the Waters ; the same Expression ' which Tertullian uses concerning Baptism. Now because the Hebrew Word , numo Merachepheth, signifies properly the Brooding of a Dove upon her Eggs, therefore it follows in Sanehuniathon, that the living Creatures, that is, the Constel- lations were in that Mutl, as in an Egg; and hence that Spirit is called by the Namepf the Dove: Under the Similitude of which Dove, Rabbi Solomon e.r.'^Xaaas the Word fiDmn Mera- chepheth, Nigidus, in the Scholiast oiGermanicus, says, " That *' there was found an Egg of a huge Bigness, which being rol- " led about w^s cast upon the Earth, and after a few Days Ve- " nus, the Goddess of Syria, was liatched thereby." Lucivs Ampelius, in his Book to Matrinus, says, " It is reported that " in the River Euphrates, a Dove sat many Days upon a Fish's "Egg, and hatched, a Goddess, very kind and merciful to the " Life of Man." Macrobius resembles the World to an Egg, in the VHth Book and l6th Chap, of his SaturnaUa. It is said to be the Beginning of Generation in the Orphick Verses mentioned by Plutarch, Symposiadc XI. Chap. 3. and Athenagoras. And hence the Syrian Gads are called by Anobius, the Offspring of "lEggs; by which Gods he means the Stars. For it follows in the Phtenidan Theology, that The Mud was illuminated with Eight, whefXeCame the Sun and Moon^ and great andlittle Stars. /You see here as in Moses, that Light was before the SiiH. The W-ftrd that Moses uses imraediately^fter, I mean I'lM Eretes ; where evidently that which|fflg^ fc *d from the Water is called T)my> ff-^ashah ; the same pTter^^kes, from the Authority of the Sytians, expresses himself thus, (ap we are informed by others, .but particularly by Josephus in his first book against Appion ; ) Chthonia, was the name given ts the Earth after that Jupiter had honourcdit. ThisPlace we find in Diogenes Laerlius, and others; atid Anaximander calls the Sea, that which remnimtd of the frst Moisture of Things^ That Things were confused before the Se- paration (concerning which you have the very Words oi Moses m Chalcidius's Explication of Timxus) Linus informs us, as he was himself taught. That In the Beginning nil Things were confused. So Anaxagoras, All Things were blended together, till the Divine Mind separated them, .and adorned and regidatcd that which was i:onfused. And for this Reason w^s the Name Mind given bj Anaxagoras, as Philiasius ass\ires ns in his Timon ; For Anaxagoras that Herofam'd Was term'd a Mind, 'cause that was thought by him 4 JVJind whiKhfrom Confusion Order brought. All Sect. 16;] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 29 Collection; and a good Part of it is to be found (a) among thelndians (/») and Egyptians; whence it is All this came from the Phctnkians, who held a very aticient Correspondence with the Greeks. The Ancients say that lAnus was descended from Phtsnix : So Orpheus had his opinions from the Phoenicians, one of which was this in Athenagoras, That Mud frocee fed from Water. After which he mentions a 'great Egg split in- two Parts, Heaven and Earth. From the same Orpheus, Timotheiu, the Chronographer, cites this Passage ; "The Chaos was dark as night, in which Darkness all Things " under the Sky were involved : The Earth could not be seen " by reason of the Darkness, till Light breaking from the " Sky, illuminated every Creature." See the Place in Scallger, in the Beginning of the first Book of the Greek Chroniclie of Eusebius. In that which follows of Sanchuniathon, it is called liuavi, which is certainly the ^^^ bohu of Moses: And the Winds, which, are there called wAsrite, Kolpia, are the same with n>-B-Vp Kalfhijah, the Voice of the Mouth^of God. (a) Among the Indians, &c.] -Megaathenes, in the Fifteenth Book of Strabo, expresses their opinion thus : " That in many " Things they agree with the Greeks ; as that the jyorld had a " Beginning, and will have an End ; that it is of a spherica,lL " Figure ; that God, the Creator and Governour of it, pent'^ " trates all Things : that 'BiiOj^ had different Beginnings ;"€^ " that the World was ma(re5|^¥^5er." Clement has preserved the Words of Megasthenes himself out of his Third Book of tGo Indian History, Strom. I. " All that was of old said concerning " the Nature of Things, we find also said by the Philosophers " who lived out of Greece, the Brackmans among the Indians^ " and they that are called Jews in Syria" (6) And Egyptians, &c.] Concerning whom, see Laertius in his Proeemivm, " The Foundation was a confused Chaos "from whence the Four Elements were separated, and Living •" Creatures made." And a little after, " That as' the World. " had a Beginning, so it will have an End." Diodorus Siculus explains their Opinion thus : " In the Beginning of the Creation '• of all Things, the Heavens and the Earth had the same Form " and Appearance, their natures being mixed together ; but " afterwards the Parts separating from one another, the World " received that Form in which we now behold it, and the " Air a continual motion. The fiery P^rt ascended highest, " because the Lightness of its Nature caused it to tend up- " wards ; for which Reason the Sun and Multitude of Stars go *' in i. continual Round ; the muddy and grosser Part, together' " with so OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Bdok I. "with the Fluid, sunk down, by reason of its Heaviness; "And this rolling and turning itself continually round, from " its Moisture produced the Sea, and from the more solid Parts " proceeded the Earth, as yet very soft and miry ; but when " the Sun began to shine upon it, it grew firm and hard ; and " the Warmth causing the Superficies of it to ferment, the " Moisture in many Places swelling, put forth certain putrid " Substances, covered with Skins, such as we now see in fenny " moorish Grounds, when the Earth being cool, the Air hap- " pens to grow warm, not by a gradual Change, but on a sud- " den. Afterwards the fore raenlioned Substances, in the moist "Places, having received Life, from the Heat in that Manner, " were neurished in the Night, by what fell from the Cloud "surrounding them, and in the Day they were strengthened by " the Heat. Laltly, when these Tatvs's were come to th^ir " full Growth, and the Membranes by which they were in- " closed broke by the Heat, all Sorts of Creatures immedi- "ately appeared ; those that were of a hotter nature, became " Birds and mounted up high ; those that were of a grosser and " earthly Nature, became Creeping Things, and such like "Creatures which are confined to the Earth ; and those which " were of a watry Nature, immediately betook themselves to *' a Place of the like Quality, and were -called Fish. Now *' the Earth being very much dried and hardened, by the Heat "of the Sun, and by the Wind, was no longer able to bring " forth Living CreiUures, biit they were afterwards begotten " by mixing wit^i each other. Euripides seems not to contradict " this Account, who was the Scholar of Anaxaguras the Philo" -" sophcr : For he says thus in his MemUppe, Heaven and Earth at first were of one Form, But when their different Parts were separate. Thence sprung Beasts, Foiols, and all the Shoals of Fish, Nay, even Men themselves, " This therefore is the Account we have received of the Ori- ,"■ ginal of Things, And if it should seem strange to any " one, that the Earth should in the Beginning have a Pov.er 'Mo bring forth Living Creatures, it maybe further con- " firmed by what we see come to pass even now. For at " Thcbais in Egypt, upon the River Nile's very much over- " flowing its Banks, and thereby moistening the Ground, " immediately by the Heat of the Sun is caused a Putrefac- " tion, out of which arises an incredible Number of Mice. " Now, if after the Earth has been thus hardened, and the Air '' does not preserve its original Temperature, yet some Ani- " mals are notwithstanding produced ; from hence, they say, "it is manifest, that in the Beginning all Sorts of Living " Creatures Sect. 16.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 3^ is that (a) in Linus (b) Hesiod, and many other Greek Writers, Mention is made of a Chaos (sig- nified *' Creatures were produced out of the Earth in this Manner." If we add to this, that God is the Creator, who is called by Anaxttgoras a Mind, you will find many Things agreeing witli Moses, and the Tradition of the PUcenicians : ' As the Heavens and Earth mixed together, the Motion of the Air, the Mud or Abyss, the Light, the Stars, the Separation of Heaven and Earth, and Sea, the Birds, the Creeping Things, Fishes, and other Animals ; and last of all. Mankind. Macrobius in his Seventh ot his iSafMTiaHff, Chap. 1 6, transcribed the following Words from the Egyftians : " If we allow, what our Adver- " saries- affirm, that the Things^ which now are, had a Be- " ginning ; Nature first formed all sorts of Animals perfect ; " and then ordained, by a perpetual Law, that their Succes- • " sion should be continued by Procreation. Now that .they " might be made perfect in the Beginning, we have the Evi- " dence of very many Creatures produced perfect, fr^ the " Earth and the Water, as in Egypt Mice, and in other "Places, Frogs, Serpents, and the like." And it is with just Reason that Aristotle prefers Anaxagoras before any of the ancient Greek Philosophers, Metaphys. Book I. Chap. 3, as a sober Man, when the rest were drunken ; because they refer- red every Thing to Matter, whereas this Man added also a Cause which acts with design; which Cause Aristotle calls Nature, and Anaxagoras Mind, which is better; sjaA Moses God ; and so does PlatO'. See Laertius, where he treats con- cerning the first Principles of Thir^gs, according to the Opi- nion fA Plato ; and Appuleius concerning the Opinions of Plato. Thalis, who was before Anaxagoras, taught the same ; as Velleius in Cicero tells us in his First Book of the Nature of the Gods : " For Thalis Milesius, who was the fii^st that enquired into such " Things as these, says, that Water was the Beginning of all " Things ; and that God was that Mind which formed all "Things out of Water," Where hy .Water, he means the Chaos, which Xenophon and others-call Eirth ; and all of them well enough, if we rightly apprehend them. (a) In Linus, &c.] In the Verse quoted above. (b) Hesiod, &c,] In his Theogonia : The Rise of all Things teas a Chaos rude. Whence sprang the spaciovs Earth, a Seat/or Gods, Who dwell en lAgh Olympus' snowy Top, Nor are excluded from the dark Abyss Seneath the Earth ; from whence the GodofLove^, Matt 32 OF tHE TRUTH OF THE fBook f, nified by some imder the Name of an Egg) and of the framing of Animals, and also of Man's Formation Most amiable of all •who frees the Breasts Of Men and Gods from anxious Cares and Tfiovgkts, And comforts each of tAevf with soft Deligjit ; From hence rose Erebus, 'and gloomy Night. These produced jEther, and the gladsome Day, As pledges of their Love. If we compare this with those of the Phanicians now quoted; it will seem to be taken from them. For Hesiod lived hard by the Theban Baotia, which was built by Cadmus- the Phasnician, ''Efsfjj, Erebus, is the same as Moses's nj? Ereb, which Night and Day follow, in the Hymns that are ascribed to Orpheui. All Things that are, sprung from a Chaos vast. In the Argotiauticks, which go under the same name ; In Verse he sung the Origin of Things, Nature's great Change ; hew Heaven on high toasfram'd, The Eat;th establish'd, and begirt with Sea. How Love created all Things by his Power, And ga'ce to each of them his proper Place. So also Epicharmus the most ancient: Comic Poet, relating an old Tradition. 'Tis said that Chaos was before t he-Gods. And Aristophanes, in his Play called the Birds, in a Passage preserved by Lucian, in his Philopatris ; and by Suidas. First of all was Chaos and Niglif J dark Erebus and gloorny Tartarus j There was no Earth, nor Air, nor Heaven till dusky Night, By the Wind's Power en the wide Bosom of Erebus, br-ought forth an Egg, • Of ti/hich tiias hatch'd the God of Love ('when Time began ;J who, with his golden Wings Fixed to his Shoulders, flew like a mighty Whirlwind ; and mixing with black Chaos, In Tartarus' dark Shades produced Mankind, and brought them into Light, For, before Ltrce joined alt Things, the Gods themsekei had nd Existence ; But upon this Conjunction, all Things being mixed and blended, j^Ether arose ; AndSea andEarth, and theblessedAbodes of the immortal Gods. These Sect. 16.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 33 Formation after the Divine Image, and the Domi- nion given him over all living Creatures ; which are to be seen in many Writers, particularly (a) in Ovid, These appear, upon a very slight View, to be taken from the Tradition of the Phxnicians, who held an ancient Corres- pondence with the Inhabitants' of Jttica, the most ancient of the lonians. We have already spoke of Erebus, Tartarus is CDinn Tehom- "A&o-o-®- Abyssos, and nSma Merachepheth, signifies Love, as was shewn before : To which agrees that of Parmenides : Love was thejirst of all the Gods, (a) In Ovid, '&c.] The place is no further than the First Book of his Metamorphoses, and is very well worth reading; the principal Things in it being so very like those of Closes, and almost the same Words, so that they afford much light to what has been already said, and are likewise much illustrated by it : t^ . Before the Sea, and Earth, andUIeaven's high Roof Were framed. Nature had but one'rorm, one Face ; The World was then a Chaos, 09ie huge Mass, Gross, undigested ; iiiherg the Seeds of Things Lay in Confusion, and Disorder hurl'd, Without a Sun to cherish with his Warmth The rising World ; or paler horned Moon, No Earth, suspended in the liquid Air, Borne up by his own Weight ; no Ocean vast Through unknown Tracts of Land to cut his Way ; But Sea, and Earth, and Air are mix'd in One ; The Earth unsettled. Sea innavigable. The Air devoid of light ; no Form remain' d: For each resisted each, being all confin'd ; • Hotjarr'd witLCold, and Moist resisted Dry ; Hard, soft, light, heavy, strove with mighty Force ; Till God and Nature did the Strife compose. By parting Heax'nfrom Earth, and Sea from Landf And from gross Air the liquid Sky dividing ; All which from lumpish Matter once discharg'd. Had each his proper Place, by Law decreed : The Light and fiery Parts upwards ascend. And fill the Region of the arched Sky ; The Air succeeds, as next in Weight, and Place ; The Earth composed of grosser Elements, Was like a solid Orb begirt with Sea, Thus the well-ordet'd Mass into due Paris D WU3 34. OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book I. Ovid, who transcribed them from the Greek. That all JVas separated by Divine Command, And first t the Earth not stretch'd into a Plain, ^ But like an artificial Globe condens'd; Upon whose surface winding Rivers glide. And stormy Seas, whose Waves each Shore rebound. ^Here Fountains send forth Streams, there one broad Lak* Mils a large Plain: Thus mix'd with Pools and Springs, The gentle Streams which roll along the Ground, Are some by thirsty hollow Earth absorb'd. Some in hvge Channels to the Ocean bend, ind leave their Banks to beat the sandy Shore, 3y the same Power were Plains and Valesvroduc'd, ind shady Woods and rocky Mountains rms'd. Vhe Heaven begirt with Zones; two on the Eight, Vwo on^ the Left, the torrid One between. Vhe same Distinction does the Earth maintain. By C(fre Divine, intojive Climates mark'd; Of which the MiMMuosf, throiigh Heat immense. Has no Inhabiii^^ixuo with deep Snow Are cover' d; wno^emffin are temperate. Next, between Hea&h And Earth the Air wasfix'dtf . Lighter than Earth, but heavier than Eire, In this low Region Storms and Clouds were hung. And hence loud Thunder timorous Mortals frights ; And forked lAghtning, mix'd with Blasts of Wind. But the wise Framer of the World did not Permit them every where; because their Force Is scarce to be resisted (when each Wind Prevaileth in its Turn;) but Nature shakes, . Their discord is so great. And first the East Obtains the Morn. Arabia's desert Land; And Persia's bounded by the Rising Sun. Next Zephyr's gentle Breeze, where Phoebus dipt Himself into the Sda ; then the cold North, At whose sharp Blasts the hardy Scythians shake ; And last the South, big with much Rain and Clouds, Above this stormy Region of the Air Was the pure jEther plac'd, refin'd and clear. When each had thus his propex Boundt decreed. The Stars, which in their grosser Mass lay hid, Appear'd and shone throughout the Heaven's Orb, Then, lest a barren Desert should succeed, Creatures of various Kinds each Place poisess'd. The Gads and Stars celestial Regicmsfill, The Waters with large Shoals of Fishes throng'd. The Earth with Beasts, the Air with Birds wai stock'd. Nothing Sect. 16.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 35 all Things were made by the Word of God, is asserted Nothing seem'd wanting, but a Mii^endu'd With Sense and Reason to ride o'er' the rest ; Which was supply' dhy Man, fi^Seed Divine Of him who did the Frame of all Things make ; Or else when Earth and Sky-^ ——^' Some of the Heavenly Seed remained, which sown By Japhet, andwith wat'ry Substance mix'd, Wasform'd into the Image of the Gods, And when all Creatures to the Earth were prone, Man had an upright Farm to view the Heavens, And was commanded to behold the Starf. Here you see Man has the Dominion over all infisrior Crea- tures given him : and also that he was made after the Image of God, or of Divine Beings. To the same Purpose are the Words of Emrysus the Pythagorean, in his Book of Fortune : " His {ihat is, Man's,) Tabernacle, or Body, is like that of " other Creatures, because it is composed of the same Mate- " rials ; but worked by the best Workman, who 'formed it " according to the Pattern of himself." Where the Word rm®' is put for Body, «s in Wisdom, Chap. ix. Ver* 15. and in 2 Cor. v. 1 and 4. To- which may be added, that of Horace, who calls the SoUl. A Particle of Breath Divine. And Virgil, An Mthereal Sense. And that oi Juvenal, Sat. XV, — Who alone ^ Have ingenuity to be esteem'd, \ As capable of Things divine andfit > \ , Tor Arts ; which Sense we Men from Heanfn derive, And which no other Creature is allow' d; For he that from' d us both, did only give To them the Breath oflAfe, but us a Soid. And those remarkable Things relating hereto, in Plato's Phccv don and Alcibiades. Cicero, in the Second Book of the Natur* of the Gods, says thus : " For when He, {that is, God,) left " all ether Creatures to feed on the Ground, he made Man " upright, to exdite him to view the Heavens, to which he is " related, as being his former Habitation." And SaUust, in the Beginning of the Catiline War : " All Men that desire j» to exceed other Animals, ought earnestly to endeavour not " to pass away their Days, in Silence, like the Beasts which " Nature has made prone, and Slaves to their Bellies." And O 2 Plin]/, 36 OF THE TRUTH OP THE [Book I. asserted by (a) Epicharmus, and(i) the Platonists; and before them, by the most ancient Writer (I do not mean of those Hymns which go under his Name, Fliny, Book II. (J!iap.*i26, " The never-enough te be ad- " mired Hipparchiis ; than -whom none more acknowledged " the Relation betwixt Man and the Stars, and who considered " our Souls as a Parbof the Heavens." (a) Epicharmus, &c.] " Man's Reason is derived from "that of God." (b) The Platonists, &c.] Amelius the Platonic : ".And *' tliis is that Reason, or Word, by wTiich all Things that " ever were, were made ; according to the Opinion of Hera- " clittis. That very Word, or Reason, the Barbarian tneans, " which set all Things in Order in the Beginning, and which " was with God -before that Order, ■ and by which every " Thing was madq, and in which, was every Creature ; the " Fountain of Life and Being," The Barbarian he here speaks of is St. JoA« the Evangelist, a little later than whose Time Amelius lived. Eusebius has preserved his Words in the Eleventh Book and 19th Chapter of his Preparation; and. Cyrilin his Eighth Book against JaSan. St. Austin mentions the same Place oi Amelius, in his Tenth Book, and 29th Chap- ter of the City of God, and in the Eighth Book of his Confess sions. And Tertullian against the Gentiles : " It is evident •' (says he) that with your Wise Men, the Aiy®', togas, Word " or Reason, was the Maker of the Universe ', for Zeno "would have this JVord to , be the Creator, by whom all " Things were disposed in their formation." This Place of Zeno was in his Book Trifl hfuh, concerning Being, vjhere he calls the T« TTciSv, the efficient Cause, Acy&', the Word or Reason; and in this he was followed by Cleanthes, Chrysippus, Arche- demvs, and Passidonius, as we are told by Laertius in his Life of Zeno. Seneca, in his LXVth Epistle, calls it the Reason wMchformeth every Thing. And Chalcidius to Timeeus says, " That the Reason of God, is God himself, who has a Re- " gard to Human AfiFairs, and who is the Cause of Men's *' living well and happily, if they do not neglect the Gift " bestowed on them by the- Most High God." And in an- other Place, speaking of Moses, he has these words : Who is clearly of opinion, " That the Heaven and Earth were " made by the Divine Wisdom preceding : And that then " the Divine Wisdom was the Foundation of the Uni- " verse," (but Sect. 16.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. s7 but) of those Verses which were (a) of old called Orpheus s ; not because Orpheus composed them, but because they contained his Doctrines, {b) And Empedodes acknowledged, that the Sun was not the Original Light, but the Receptacle of Light (the Storehouse and Vehicle of Fire, as the ancient <«) 0/"oW aaHedOrpheus's, &c.] The Verses are these: I sviear by that first Word the Father spake. When the Foundation of the Earth was laid. They are extant in the Admonition to the Greeks among the Works of Julian : As also these ; I speak to those I ought, begone, Prophane, Away : But, Musaeus, harlcen thou. Thou Offspring of the Moon ; I speak the Truth': Let not vain Thoughts the Comfort of thy lAfe Destroy ; the Divine Reason, strictly view, And fix it in thy mind to imitate ; Behold the great Creator of the World, Who's only perfect, and did all Things m^ke. And is in all ; though we with mortal Eyes Cannot discern Mm; but he looks on us. These we find in the Admonition to the Greeks: as alsoln a Book concerning the Monarchy of the World, in the Works oi Justin Martyr ; in Clement Alexandrinus, Strom. 5, and in the Xlllth Book of Evsebius's Gospel Preparation, from Arista- bulus. (6) And Empedocles acknowledged, &c.] Of whom Latr- iius says, " That he affirmed the Sun to be a great Heap of " Fire." And he that wrote the Opinions of^ the Philosophers, has these Words : "Empedocles said that the Mther was first " separated, then the Fire, and after that the Earth ; the "Superficies of which being compressed by its violent Mo- "tion, the Water burst out; from which the Air was ex- " haled; That the Heavens were composed oi ^ther, and " the Sun of Fire." And Chap. 20. Empedocles affirms, " There are two Suns, one the Original, and the othf r the " Apparent." And Philolaus, as we there also read, says, " That the Sun is of the same Nature as Glass, receiving its " Splendour from the Fire that is in the World, and trans- '« mitting its Light to us." An^agoras,Democritusg Metro- (?oru«, affirmed the Sun to be a certain Mass of Fire ; as you find itin the same Place, And Democritus shows, that these were the moit ancient Opinions, as Laertes relates. Christians 38 OP THE TRUTH OF THE [Book I. Christians express it.) (a) Aratus, and {h) Catullus thought the Divine Residence was above the starry Orb ; in which Homer says, there is a continual Light, (c) Thales taught from the ancient Schools, That God was the oldest of Beings, because not begotten ; that the World was most beautiful, be- cause the Workmanship of God; that Darkness was before Light, which latter we find {d) in Orpheus's Verses, (e) and Besiod, whence it was, that (/) the (o) Aratus, &c.] Aratus : As far as the dire Gulph Eridanus, Under the Footstool of the Gods extends. (fi) Catullus, &o] Catullus the Interpreter of Callimachus, introduces Berenice's Hair, speaking after this Manner. Tho' in the Night the Gods upon me tread. (c) Thales taught, &c.] As we see in Diogenes Laertius ; and Herodotus and Leander assert hira to have been Briginally a Phoenician. (d) In Orpheus's Verses, &c.] In his Hymn to Night : I sing the Night, Parent of Men and Gods, (e) And Hesiod, &c.] Whose Verses upon this Subject are cited above. (J) The Nations who were most tenacious, &c.] The Nu- midians in Lybia reckon their Time not hy Days, hut by Nights, says Nicolaus Damascenus: And Tacitus aflSrms of the Germans, that they do not, like us, compute the Number of the Days,, but of the Nights; so they date their Decrees and Citations; Night seems to begin the Day with them. See the Speculum Saxonicum, Book I. Art. 3. 67 . and in other places. So likevfisethe LearnediJB- debrogius, upon the Word Night, in his Vocabulary of the German Laws. The neighbouring People of Bohemia and Poland preserve this Custom to this very Day, and the Gauls used it*of old. Ccesar, in his sixth Book of the Gallic War, says, That all their Distances of Time were reckoned, not by the Number of Days, but of Nights. And Pliny concerning the Druids, in the sixteenth Book of his Natural History, says, The Moon with them began their Months and Years. It is a known Custom amongst the Hebrews, Gellius in his Third Book, Chap. II. adds the Athenians, who in this Matter were the Scholars of the Phanicians, Nations, Sect. 16,] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 39 Nations, who were most tenacious pf ancient Cus- toms, reckoned the Time by Nights, {a) Anax- agoras affirmed, that all Things were ' regulated by the supreme Mind : (b) Aratus, that the Stars were made by God; (c) Virgil, from the (a) Anaxagoras affirmed, &c.] His words are quoted above, ■which are to be found in La'ertiiis, the Writer of The Opinions of the Philosophers, and others : As are also the Verses of Timon concerning his Opitlion. (5) Aratus, &c.] In the Beginning of his Phxiiomena : Begin mth Jupiter, ■whose Essence is Ineffable by mortal Man, whose Presence Does all Thingsjill; Assemblies, Courts, and Marts^ The deep Abyss, and Ports areJiU'd with Him. We dll enjoy him, all his Offspring are, ' Whose Nature is benign to Man, who stirs Them up to Work, shewing the Good of Life. 'Tis He appoints the Time to plow and sow. And reap the fruitful Harvest 'Twas He that in the Heavens fix' d the Stars, Allotting each his Place, to teach the Year, And to declare the Fate vs Men attends : That all Things are by certain Laws decreed. Him therefore let us first and last appease, O Father, the great Help we Mortals have. That by Jupiter we are here to understand God, the true Maker of the World, and all Things in it, St. Pau/ shews us in the Seventeenth Chapter of the Acts, Ver, 28. And we learn from Lactantius, that Ovid ended his Phoenomena with these Verses. Such both in Number and in Form, did God Upon the Heavens place and give in Charge To enlighten the thick i)arkness^ofthe Night. And Chalciditu to Timoeus : " To which Thing the Hebrews " agree, who affirm that God was the Adorner of the World, " and appointed the Sun to rule the Day, and the Moon to "govern the Night; and so disposed the rest of the Stars, as " to limit the Times and Seasons of the Year, and to b^ Signs " of the Productions of Things." (c) Virgil,/»'a»i.-. . But to return to the Translation of Names into other Languages, there is a remarkable Place in Plato's Cri' tias concerning it : "^ Upon the Entrance of this Discourse,- " it may be necessary (says he) to premise the Reason, lest " you be surprised when you hear the Names of Barbariani " in Greek: When Solon put this Relation into Verse, he in* " quired into the Signification of the Names, and found that " the first Egyptians, who wrote of these Matters, translated " them into their own Language ; and he likewise searching "out their true Meaning, turned them into our Language." The Words of Abydenus agree with those of Alexaiider the Historian, which Cyril has preserved in his forementioned First Book against Julian: " After the' death of OtiarteSf " his Son Xisuthrtts reigned eighteen Years ; in whose Time, " they say, the great Deluge was. It is reported that Xisuth-^ " rus was preserved by Satvm's foretelling him what was " to come ; and that it was convenient for him to build aa " Arts, that Birds and creeping Things, and Beasts might " sail with him in it." The Most High God is named by the Assyrians, and other Nations, from that particular Star of the Seven (to use Tacitus's Words) by which Mankind are go- verned, which is moved in the highest Orb, and with the greatest Force : Or certainly the Syriac Word, ^>« II, which signifies God, was therefore translated Kpo»®'', Kronos, by the Griek Interpreters, because lie was called V'« II by the Syri- ans. Philo Biblius, the Interpreter of Sanchuniathmi, hath these Words: lUus, who is called Saturn. He is quoted by Eusebius: In whom it immediately follows from the sama Philo, That Kronos was the same the Phoenicians call (Israel ; but the Mistake was in the Transcriber, who put 'la-fu^, for lA //, which many Times amongst the Greek Christians is the Contraction of 'IrfaijA ; whereas t'A is, as we have observed* what the Syrians call ^'« 11, and the Hebrew b>A El. (It ought not to be overlooked, that in this History Deucalion, who was the same Person as Noah, is called «n)f !riAgG. njn Hanno or Anno ; hsyi//>iTcti axoumitai, m, on is a Greek ending. This Person is transformed not only by the Libyans, but also by many other Nations, into the Star Jupiter, as a God. Lucan, Book IX. Jupiter Ammon is the only God Amongst the happy Arabs, and amongst The Indians and Ethiopians. And the sacred Scripture puts Egypt amongst them. Psalm Ixxvii. 51. cv. 23. 27. cvi. 22. Jerom, in his Hebrew Tra- ditions on Genesis, has these Words, " From whom, Egypt, at " this very Day, is called the Country of Ham, in the Egyp- " tian Language." (fi) And Josephus and others, &c.] He says, TofaafUi Goma- reis the Galatians, is derived from TOJ Gomar, v/lievei Pliny's Town Comara is. The People of ComuYa we find in the, First Book of Mela. The Scythians are derived from JUa Magog,, by whom the City Scythopolis in Syria was built, ajid tlie other City Mngog; Pliny, Book V.'Ciiap. 23. which is called by others Hierapolis and Bambyce. It is evident that tihe Medcs are derived from *iaMedi; and as we have already observed, Jaxones, Jaones, Jone>>, from. p> Javen. Josephus says, the Iberians in Asia come ftom_ Van TAefia/, in the Neighbour- hood of whom Ptolemy places the City of Tliabai, as preserv- ing the Marks of its ancient Original. The City Ma^aca,- mentioned by him, comes from y^m Masach, which we find in Strabo, Book XII. and in Pliny, Book VI. 3. and in Ammea- nus Marcellinus, Book XX, Add to this the Maschi, men- tioned by Strabo, Book XI. and in the First and Third Book of Mela, whom Pliny calls Moschini, Book VI. Chap. <). and we find in them and Pliny, the Moschiean Mountains. Jose- phus and others agree, that the TAracians were derived -from DTD 54 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book I. Footsteps in the Names of other Places and Na- tions, DTn Tiras, and the Wprd itself shews it; especially if we ob- serve, that the Greek Letter | a; at first answered to the Syri- ac Letter s, as the place of it shews. Concerning those that are derived from y)3trs* Aschanaz, the. Place is corrlipt in J0sephus ; but without Doubt Ascania, a Part of Phrygia and Mysia, mentioned in Homer, comes from thence ; concerning which see_ Strabo, Book XH, and PKny, Book V. Chap. 32. The Ascanian Lake, and the River flowing from it, we find in Strabo, Book XIV. and in Pliny's forecited Fifth Book Chap. 32. The Ascanian Harbour is in Pliny, Book. V. Chap. 30. and the Ascanian Islands also, Book IV. Chap. 12. and Book V. Chap. 31. Josephus says, the Paphlagonians are derived from nan Ripath, by some called Riphatceans, where Mela, in his First Book puts the RipAacians, The same Josepkus tells us, that the aioAEi? aioleis comes from rwif^hi^ Alishah j and the Jerusalem Paraphrast agrees with him, in nahning the Greeks Molians, putting the Part for .the Whole; nor is it much un- like Hella the Name of the -Country. The same Josephus also says that the Cilicians are derived from m''\t>lT\ Tarshish, and proves it from the City Tarsus ; for it happens in many Places, that the Names of thePeople are derived from the Names of Cities. We have before hinted, that KiVtmv Kittion, is derived from ca'DD Chitim, The Ethiopians are called Chu- seans by themselves, and their Neighbours, from ti>iD Chvsh, now ; as Josephus observed they were in his Time ; from whence there is a River so called by Plolemy ; and in the Ara- bian Geographer, there are two Cities which retain the same Name. So likewise Mureif in Philo Biblius, is derived from C3>Tyn Mifzraim ; those which the Greeks call Egyptians, be- ing called by themselves and their Neighbours Mesori, and the Name of one of their Months is Msrifi, Mesiri. Cedrenus calls the Country itself MsVf«, and Josephus rightly conjee-, ture's, that the River of Mauritania is derived from toiB Phut. Fliny mentions the same Rivfir, Book V. Chap.1. " Pkut, " and the neighbouring Phufensian Country, is so called to " this Day," Jerom in his Hebrew Traditions on Genesis, .says, it is not far from Fesa, the Name remaining even now. The tW3 Ckenaan in Moses, is contracted by Sanchvniathon, and from him by Philo Biblius, into X»S Chna, you will find it in Eusebius's Preparation, Book I. Chap. 10. ^nd the Country is called so. Stephanus of Cities, says, Chna was so called by tHe PAamcians, And St. Austin in his Book of E.xpositions on the Epistles to the Romans, says, in his Time, if the Coun- try People that lived at Hippo were asked whp they v?ere, they answered, Canaanites. Aniin that place of Eupulemus, cited- by Sect. 16.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. $6 tions. And which of the Poets is it, in which we do by Euiebius, Prepaf.lX. 17. the Canaanites are called Mestr^- mites, Ptolemy's Regiina in ArMa Felix, is derived from noffi B.aa'Olak, by changing!? into y g, as ixiGomorrha and other Words. Josepkus deduces the Sabins, from «1D Saba, a known Nation, whose chief City Strabo says, Book XVI. was Saba, where Josephus places the Sabateni, from nniD Sa- batch ; there Pliny places the City Sobotale, Book VI. Chap. 28; The Word ca'arft Lehabim, is not much different from the Name of the Lybians ; nor the Word Q>nnB2 NephatMm from Nepata, a City of Mthiopia, mentioned by Pliny, Book VI. Chap. 29- Nor Ptolemy's Nepata, or the Fharusi in Pliriy, Book V. Ch. 8. from CD'OiyB Phatstrasim, the same as Ptole- my's Phaurusians in JEthiopia, The City Sidon, famous in all Poets and Historians, comes from JTV Tzidon. And Ptolemy's Town Gorosa, from'»tr>anj Gergttshi: And Area, a City of the' Phesnicians, mebtioned hy Ptolemy z.nA Pliny, Book V.Ch. ife. from ^p'MArki, And Aradns, an Island mentionedin Sfrafio, Book XVI. and Pliny, Book V. Chap. 20. and Ptolemy in Syria from ♦111K Arodi ; a,nd Amachus of Arabia mentioned by Herodotus in his Euterpe and Thalia, froita »nnn Hamathi; and the Ely- mites, Neighbours to the Hides, from 0^»> Pjiim, mentioned by Strabo; Book XVI. -PJiny, Book V. Ch. 26, and Liiw, ' Book XXXVll. Their Descendants in Phrygia Ird called Elymites by Athenceus, Book IV. Every one knows, that the Assyrians are derived from 1W« Ashur, as the'* Indian* are from "rhLud; from whence comes the iafm Word ZiuJt. Those which by the Greeks are called Syrians, from the City liy Tzcfr, are called Aramites to this Day from m« Aram. For v fz is sometimes translated r t, and sometimes Jok- tan 66 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book L do not find Mention made of {a) the Attempt to climb ■ tan, and nimyrt Hatzoramuth, and tl^in Holan, are lepre- .sented by the Arabian Geographers, under the names of Bal- satjaktan, Hadramuth, and Chaulan; as the learned Capell ob- serves. The River Qphar ; and the People called Opharitet, near Mixetis, Pliny, Book VI. 7. if I mistake not retain the Name iBtS Ophar ; and those Cities, which Moses mentions in this Place, appear to be the most ancient, by comparing of Authors. Every one knows from whence Babylon is derived, ^ns Jrach in Aracca, placed by Ptolemy, in Susiana) from whence come the Araccean Fields in Tibullus, as the famous Salmas'ms, a Man of vast reading, observes. Acabehe, a Cor- ruption of Acadene, is derived from ip« Achad, as is proba- bly conjectured by Franciscus Junius, a diligent Intei'preter of Scripture, who has observed many of those Things we havo been speaking of, nj^3 Chalnah is the Town of Caunisus on - the River Euphrates, whose name Ammianus tells us, in his Twenty-third Book, continued to hi» Time. The Land nj?Jt» . Senaar, is the Babylonian Senaas, in HtfstiiEfts Milesius, which place Josephus h^s preserved in his Ancient History, Book I. Ch. 7- and in his Chrpnicqn; as has Eustbiu^'xw his Preparation^ He wrote the Affairs of Phanida ; whpm also Stepkem had re^d. Again being changed into y g, Ptqlemy, from hence calls the Mountain Singarus iu Mesopotamia. And Pliny men- tions the Town Singara, Book V. Ch. 24. and hence the Singa- ranceanQountry in Sextus Rufns, niJ'J Nineveh is undoubtedlythe I^inos of the Greelcf contracted; thus in Sardanapalus's Epitaph; I who great Ninus rul'd am now but Dust. The same we find in Theognis and Strabo, Book XVI. and Pliny, Book XI. Chap. 13. whose Words are these. " Ninus <• was built upon the River Tigris, towards the West, a beau- " tiful City to behold." Lacan, Book III. " Happy JVmw, " as Fame goes." The Country Calachena has its Name from the principal City n^3 Chala: Strabo, Book XI. and afterwards, in the Beginning of l^ookXVI. fon Resin, is Re- saina in Ammianus, Book XXIII. Sidon every one knows, nyi> -Azzah, is without Doubt --rendered Gaza in Palestine, by changing, as before, the Letter s into y g : It is mentioned by Strabo, Book XVI. and Mela, Book I. who calls it a large and well fortified Town ; and Pliny, Book XV, Ch. 13. and Book VI. Chap. 28. and elsewhere. msD Sophira, is Helio- polis, a City of the Sipparians, in that Place of Abydenus, now quoted. Sippara is by Ptolemy placed in Mesopotamia. iin Ur is the Castle Ur, mentioned by Ammianus, Book XXV. pn Caran is Carra, famous for the slaughter of the Crassi, (a) The Attempt to climb the Heavens, &c.] See Homer, pdys, 30. and Ovid's Metamorphoses, BqoIj I. ' . ■ Thi Sect. 16.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 57 climb the Heavens? (a) Diodoxus Siculus, (b) Siraht TacituS) The Giants by Report would Heaven hane storm'd. See also f^irgil's first Georgic, and Lucan, Book VII. It is a frequent way of speaking amongst all Nations, to call those Things which are raised above the common Height, Things reaching to Heaven, as we often find in Homer, and Deut. i. 29. and ix, 1. Josephus quotes one of the S^/bils, I know not which, concerning the unaccountable Building of that Town; the Words are these : " When all Men spoke the same Lan- " guage, some of them huilt a vast high Tower, as if they would " ascend up into Heaven; but the Gods sent a wind, and over- " threw the Tower, and assigned to each a particular Lan- •' guage ; and from hence the City of Babylon was so called." And Euseiius in his Preparation, Book IX. Chap. 14. Cyril, Book I. against Julian, quotes these Words out of Abydenus: , " some say, that the first men who sprung out of the Earth, " grew proud upon their great Strength and Bulk, and boasted " that they could do more than the Gods, and attempted to " build a Tower, where Babyhm now stands; but when it came " nigh the Heavens, it was. overthrown upon them by the " Gods, with the Help of the Winds, and the Ruins are called " Babylon. Men till then had but one Language, biit the Gods <* divided it, and then began the War betwixt Saturn and " Titan."- It is a false Tradition of the Greeks, 'that Babylon was built by Semiramis, as Berosus tells us in his Chaldaics, and Josephus in his. First Book »ga\nit Appibn ; and the same Error is refuted by Julius Firmicus, out of Philo Biblius, and Darotheus Sidonius.- See also what Eusebius produces out of Eupolemus, Concerning the Giants and the Tower, in his Gospel Preparat. Book XX, Chap. 17- (a) Diodorus Siculus, &c.] Book XIX. where he describes the Lake Asphaltitis: " The neighbouring Country burns with " Fire, the ill Smell of which makes the Bodies of the Inha- " bitants sickly, and not very long lived." (See more of this in our Dissertation added to the Pentateuch, concerning the burning of 5Wo»?. LeClerc.J (6) Strabo, he."] Book XVI. after the Description of the Lake Asphaltitis: -There are many Signs of this Country's -" being on Fire: for ^bout Mfl«fl«/a they shew many cragged " and burnt Rocks, and in many Places Caverns eaten in, "and Ground turned into Ashes, Drops oif Pitch falling " from the Rocks, and running Waters stinking to. a great "Distance, and their Habitations overthrown ; which makes f credible a Report amongst the Inhabitants, that formerly V Miere were thirteen Cities inhabited there, the chief of " which $8 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book h (a) Taeitus, {b) Pliny, (?) SoUnus, speak of the Burning of Sodom. {J) < Herodotus, _ Dio- dorus, " which was 'Sodom, so large as to be sixty Furlongs round; " but by Earthquakes and Fire breaking out, and. by hot Waters " mijKd with Bitumen and Brimstone, it became a Lake, as we " now see it; the Rocks took Fire, some of the Cities were " swallowed up, and the others forsaken by those Inhabitants <' rhat could flee away." (o) Tacitus, &c.] In the Fifth Book of his History ; " Not " far from thence are those Fields which are reported to have " been formerly very fruitful and had large Cities built in " them, but they were burnt by Lightning; the Marks of " which remain ; in that the Land is of a burning Nature, " and has lost its P'ruitfulness, For every Thing that is " planted, or grows of itself, as seon as it is come to an Herb " or Flower, or grown to its proper Bigness, viinishes like Dust " into nothing." (&) Flipy, SiC.1 He describes the Lake .(iip/Mz/fto, Book Vi Chap. 16. and Book XXXV. Chap. J5. (c) Solinus, &c.] In the 36th Chap. o{ Salmam/s's Edition; " At a good Distance from Jerusalem, a dismal Lake extends " itself, which was struck by Lightning, as appears^ from the " black Earth burnt to Ashes, There were two Towns therej " one called Sodom the other Gomorrah ;, the Apples, thafgrow "there, cannot be eaten,, though they look as if they were *' ripe ; for the outward Skin incloses a Kind of sooty Ashes, " ■which pressed by the least Touch, flies out in Smoke, and •' vanishes- into fine Dust." (rf) Herodotus, &c.] Wjth some little Mistake, The Words are in his Euterpe: " Originally only the Colchians, and " Egyptians, and Mthiopians were circumcised. For the Phct- " nicians anA Syrians.'m Palestine, confess they learned it from " the Egyptians. And the Syrians who dwell at TAermodoon, " and on the Parthenian River, and the Macrons, their Neigh- " hours, say, they learnt it of the Colchians. For these are •' the oilly men that are circumcised, and in this Particular " agree With the Egyptians. But concerning the Mfhiopians " and. Egyptians, I cannot affirm positively, which learned it " ofthe other^" Josephus rightly observes, that none- were circumcised in Palestine Syria, but the Jews; in the Eighth Book, Chap. 14. of his Ancient History, and First Book against Appiox, Goncefning which Jews, Juvenal says, " They take " off: -ie Foreskin ;" and Tacitus, " that they instituted cir- " cumcisin* themselves, that they might be known by such , , " Distinction :" Sect. ^6.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 69 donis, (a) Straha, (b) Philo Bihlius, {c) testify the ancient Custom of Circumcisioiij which is con- firmed by those Nations {d) descended from Abra- ham, " Distinction :"'i5ee StrcAo, Book XVII. But the Jews /ax^ so far from confessing that they derived this Custom from tb« Egyptians, that, on the contrary, they openly declare, that the Egyptians learnt to be circumcised of Joseph.- Neither were all the £g'^p4 were, as we may see from the Example of Appion, who was an Egyptjan, in Josephus. Herodotus undoubted ly^put the PhiEnicians' ior the Idnmceans; as Aristophanes does in his Play called the Birds, where he calls the Egyptians and Phoenicians, The Circumeised. Ammonius of the Difference of Words, says, The Idfimteafis " were not originally Jews, but Phcenicians and Syrians," ' Those Ethiopians which were circumcised, were of the Posterity of Keturak, as shall be observed afterwards. The Colchians and their Neighbours were of the Ten Tribes that Salmanaiar carried away, and from thence some came into Thrace.- Thus the Scholiast on Aristophane/s Acharncnses, says, " That the " Nation of the Odomants is the same as the Thracians; they " are said to be Jews." Where, by Jews, are to be under- stood, improperly, liebred's, as is usual. Frrim the Ethiopians, •.Circumcision went across the Sea into the New World, if it be true what is said of the Rite's being found in many Places df that World. (The Learned Dispute whether Circumcision was instituted first amongst theEgyptians or amongst the Jejrs, con- cerning which see my Notes upon Genesis xvii. 30. Le Clerc:) (a) Diodoi-us, &c.] Book I. of the Colchians : " That this " Nation .sprafig from the Egyptians, a f pears from hence, that " they are circumcised after the Manner of theEgyptians; " which Custom remains amongst this Colony, as it does " amongst the Jews." Now 'since the Hebrews were of old "circumcised; it no more foUovss from th«' Co/c/a'ans being cir- cumcised, that thay sprang from the F.gyptians', than that they sprang from the Hebrews, as we affirm ttiey did. He tells us, • Book III. that the Trogludiles were circumcised, who were a Part of the Mthiepians. tby Strobe, &c.] Book XVI. concerning the Troglodites: " Some of these are circumcised, like the Egyptians." fa the same Book he ascribes Circumcision to the Je-ds. (c) Philo Biblius, &cl] In the Fable oi Saturn, in Eusebius, Book I. Chiip. 10. ■ , . ^ {d) Descended fromAhr&haTa,ke.1 To which ^ira/djw, that the Precept of Circumcision was first of all given, Theodorvs ' . tells 60 OF THE TRUTH OF THE fBook I, ham, not only Hebrews, but also (a) Iduniaans, Ismaetites, {¥) and others {c). The Historj of Abra- ham, tells us in liis Poem upon, the Jews; out of •which Eiisebius has preserved these Verses in his Gospel Preparaticm, Book IX, Chap. 22. He who from Home the righteous Abraham brovght. Commanded him and all his^ House, mth Knife To circumcise the Foreskin. He obeyed, ^ (a) Idumeeans, &c.J So caJled from Esau, who is called Oaraii Qusoos, by Philo Biblius, His other Name was Edota, which the Greeks translated-'Epa^pisir Eruthran, from whence come^ the Erythraean Sea, because the ancient Dominions of Esau and his Posterity extended so far. They who are igno- rant of their Original, confound them, as we observed, with the Phceniciam. Ammonius says, the Idumoeans were circum- cised ; and so does Justin, in his Dialogue with Tiypho ; and Epiphanius against the Ebionites, Part of these were Homerites, who, Epiphaniits against the Edionites tells us, were circum- cised in his Time, (J) Ismaelites, &c.] These were circumcised of old, but on the same Year of their Age as Ismael. Josephus, Book 1. Chap, 12 and 13. " A Child was born to them, (viz. Abra- " ham and Sarah) when they were both very old, which they " circumcised on the Eighth Diay ; and hence the Custom of " the Jews is, to circumcise after so many Days, But the " Arabians defer it Thirteen Years : for Ismael, ihe Father of " that nation, who was the Child of Abraham by his Concu- ■ " bine, was circumcised at that Age," Thus Origefi in his ©xcelient Discourse against Fate, which is extant in Evsebius, Book VI, Chap. 11. And in the Greek Collection, whose Title is 9a«ui,7i.m ; " I don't know how this can be defended, that " there should be just such a Position of the Stars upon every " one's Birth in Judaa, that upon the Eighth Day they must " be circumcised, made tore, wounded, lamed, and so in^ " flamed, that they want the Help ©f a Physician, as" soon as " they come into the World, And that there should be such a. " Position of the Stars to the Ismaelites in 4-i'abia, that they " must all be circumcised when they are Thirteen Years old ; " for so it is reported of them." Epiphanius, iij his Dispute against the Ebionites, rightly explains, these Ismaelites to be. the Saracens, for the Saracens ahvays observed^ this Custom, and the Turks had it from them, (c) And others, &c.] Namely those that descended from iTe- furah, <;oncerning whom there is a famous Place of Alexander the Sect. 16.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. Gl : ham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, agreeable with Mo- seS) («) was extant of old in \l>) Philo Bihl'ms out the Historian in Josephus, Book I. Chap. l6. which Eusebius quotes in his Gospel Preparation, Book IX. Chap. SO. Cleode- mus the Prophet, who is called Malchus, in his Relation of the Jews, gives us the same History as Moses their Lawgiver, viz. " That Abr-aham had many Children by Keturah, to three " of which he gave the Names Aftr, Asser, aad Ajfra. As' " Syria is so Called from Atser ; and from the other two, dfer, " and Afra, the City Afra, and the Country Africa is deno- " minated. These fought with Hercules against Ldbya and " Antteus. Then Hercules married his Daughter to Afra : He <> had a Son of her, whose Name was Oeodorns, of whom " was born Sopkon, whence the Barbarians are called So- " phaces." Here the other Names, through the fault of the Tran- scribers, neither agree with Moses, nor with the Books of JosC' phns and Eusebius, as we have them now. But Aptf is un- doubtedly the same as lor Apher in Moses. We are to under- stand by Hercules, not the Thebean Hercules, but the Phanician Hercules, much older, whom Pkilo Biblius mentions, quoted by Eusebius often, in the forementioned JlOth Chapter of the First Book of his Gospel Preparation, This is that Hercules, who, Sallust says in his Jugurtkine War, brought his Army into Africa. So that we sec whence the Ethiopians, who were a great Part of the Africans, had their Circumcision, which they had in Herodot as' s Time; and even now, those that are Christians retain it, not out of a religious Necessity, but out of Respect to so ancient a custom. (a) IVas extant of old, &c.] Scaliger thinks that several Things which Eusebius has preserved out of Philo Biblius, certainly relate to Abraham. : See himself in his Appendix to the Emendation of- Time. There is some reason to doubt of it. (i.) Philo Biblius, &c.] How far we are to give Credit to Philo' s Sanchyniathon, does not yet appear; for the very learned Heivry Dodwill has rendered his Integrity very suspicious in his English Dissertation on Sanchuniathons Phienician History published at London, in the Year 168I, to whose Arguments we may add this, that in his Fragments there is an absurd Mixture of the Gods unknown to the Eastern Grecians in the first Times, with the Deities of the Phoenicians, which the Straitness of Paper will not allow me to enlarge upon, te Clerc. of 6i " Of the truth of the [Book I. of Sanchmiathon, in {a) Berosus, (i) Hecat^m, (c) DamascenuSf {d) Artapanus, Eupehmits, Dem^ trim, and partly (e) in the ancient Writers of the Orphic (ft) Eeros^s, &c.] Josephus has preserved his Words in his Ancient History, Book 1. Chap. 8, " In the tenth Generation " after the Flood, there was' a man amongst the Ckaldeans, " vvKo was very Just aiid Great, and sought after Heavenly "Things." Now it is evident' from Reason, that this ought to be referised to the Time of Abra^atn. ' (J) H.ecataus, Sic.']. He wrote a Book concerning 4i>'«fo»2, which is now lost, but was extant in Jesephus's time. "(c) Damaseenus, &c.] Nicolaus that famous Man, who was the Friend of Augustus and Herod, some of whose R&iicks were lately procured by that excelleat person, Nicholas Peire- sJtM ; by whose Death, Leai^ning, and learned IMen had a very great Loss. The Words of this Nicolaus Jictmasjceims, Josephus relates in .tlieforecited Place : " Abraham reigned in Damascus, " teing a Stranger who came out of the Land of the Chatdxans, " beyond Babylon; and not long after, he and these that be- " longed' to him, went from thence into the Land called Car " naan, but now Jwdxa, where he and those that descended "from him dwelt, of whose Affairs Ishall treat in another *' Place. Tbe-Name of Abraham is,, at this Day, famous in " the Country about Damascus, and they show us the Town' " which from him is called Abraham)! s Dwelling." (S) Artcq){inus, Eupokmus, SiC."] Eusebius in his Preparation, Book IX. Ch. 16, 17, IS, si, 23, jhas quoted several Things, under these Men's Names, out of Alexander the Historian„but! the Places are too long to be transcribed ; nobody has quoted them before Busebius. , Bjit the Fable of the Bethulians, which Eusebius took out of Philp- Bililius, Prepar. Book I. Chap. 10. came from the Altar of Bethel, built by Jacob, mentioned Gen. xxxvi. (e) III the ancient Writers, &c.] For certainly those that we find in Clemens Alexandrinus, Strom. V. axi&Eusebius, BookXIIL Chap. 12. can be understood of no other. The Maker of all Things is known to none, But one of the Gbaldaean Race,] his Son Only begotten, zeho well understood The Starry Orb, arid by what Laws each Star. Moves round the JEarth, embracing ail Things in iL Vfheve' Abraham is called only begotten, as in Isaah li, 2. nnS Aehad. We have before seen in Berosus, 'ih&t Abraham was 1 famous Sect. 160 CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 63 Orphic Verses ; and sorpething of it is still extent 'm(a)Jtuim, out of Trogus Pompeius. (h) 3y almost all which, is related also the History of Moses, ai;)4 his principal Acts, The Orphie Verses ex- pressly mention (c) his being taken oUt of the Wa- •femous for the Knowted'ge of Astronomy ; and Eupoltmui, in EuKbim%sky% of him, " that he was the Inventor of Astronomy " among the Chaldeeans," (a) In Justin, &c.] Book XXXVI. Chap. 2. « The Ori- " ginal of the Jews was from Damascus, an eminent City ia " Si/ria^ of which afterwards Abraham and Israel were King&," Tragus Pompems calls them Kiugs,^ as JVicotew did; because they exercised a Kingly Power in their Families ; and therefore they are called -4nO!B/erf, Psalm, cv. 15. I (b) By almosi all teltick, &c.] See Eusebius in thq foreraen- tioned Book IX. Chap. ZS, 27, 38. Those Things are true, which are there quoted out of Tragkus Judwus Egechi^l, Part qf which we find in Clemens Akseandrmus, Strom. I, who re- ports out of the Books of the Priests, that an Egyptian was slain at Moses's Word ; and Strom. I. he relates some Things belonging to Moses, out of Artapanus, though not very exact- ly. Justin out 6i Tragus Pompeius, says of Moses, " He was " Leader of those that were banished, and took away the " sacred Things of the Egyptians : which they endeavouring " to recover "by Arms^ were forced by a Tempest to return '" home ; and that.Moie* having entered into his own Country " of Damascus, took possession of Motint Sinah ;" and what follows, which is a Mixture of Truth and Falsehood^ where we find Areas written by him, It should be iea.d Arnas, who is ^aron, not the Son, as he imagines, but the brother oiMuses^ and a Priest. • (c) His being taken out of the Water, &c.] As the great Sca^ Uger has mended the Place; who with a very little Variation of the Shape of a Letter^ instead of sAoyErW hdogenes, as it is quoted out of Aristohdus, by Eusebius, in his Gospel Preparat, Book XIII. Chap. 12. bids us yea.d^^oymi hudogenes^ born qf the Water.- So that the Verses are thus : So was it said. of old, so he commands Who is born of Water, who receiv'dfrom God The two great Tables of the Moral Law. The ancient Writer of the Orphic Verses, whoever he was, added these Words, after he had said,- that there was but one Ood to be worshipped, who was the Cfeator and Governor of the World. ter. 54 Ot THE TRUTH OF THE [Book I. ter, and the two Tabies that were given hirn by God. To these we may add (a) Polemon : {b) And several Things about his coming out of Egypt, from the Egyptian Writers, Menetho, Lysima- ehus, Chceremon. Neither can any prudent Man think it at all credible, that Moses, (c) who had so many enemies, not only of the Egyptians, but also of many other Nations, as the (^) Idumaans, (a) Pokmon, &c.] He seems to have lived in the Time of Tlolemy Epiphanes; concerning which, see that very useful Book of the famous Gerrard Vossius, of the' Greek Historians* Africanus says, the Greek Histories were wrote by him; which is the same Book Athenxus calls, '^>\.XaS{Kw. His- Words are these: " In the Reign of Apis the Son of Fhqroneus,. Part of " the Sgyp^eon' Army went out of .Egypt^ and dwelt in S^/ria, "■called Palestine, not far from Arabia," As Africanus pre- served the Place of Polemon, so Eusehius, in his Chronology, preserved that of ^«eas«s. ' (b). And several Things, &c.] The Places; are .in Jok^//ms against Appion, with abundance of Falsities, as coming from People who hated ihe Jems; and from hence Tacitus tobk^his Acpount of them. But it appears from all these compared together, that th|! Hebrews descended from the Assyrians, Kndi possessirtg a'great Part of Egypt, MA the Life of Shepherds; but afterwards being burthened with hard Labour, they came ^.put of Eg3//rf under the command oi Moses, some of theEgyp- timis accompanjing them, and went through the Coinntry of :ths,Arabians,\xnto Palestine Syria, and there set up Rites con-" trary to those of the Egyptians : But Josephus in that learned Boolv has surprizingly shewn, how the Egyptian Writers, in ,the Falsities which ihey have, here and there, mix*:d with this History, differ with one another, and s.ome with them- selves, and how many ages the Books ef Moses exceed theirs in Antiquity. (c) Who had so many Enemies, &C.3 From whom they went away,- by^ Force, whose Laws the Jews abolished concerning the implacable Hatred of the En-^/j/ww* against the /ew«; see Philo against jF7acc(/i, and in his Embassy; and Josephus in each Book against Appion, (d) The Idumasans, &c.] Who inherited the ancient Hatred ■between Jacob and Esau: which was increased from a new Cause, when the Idumaans denied the Hebreus a Passage, Numb, XX. 14. 3 AraUanSt Sect. 16.1 CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 65 (a) Arabians and (h) Phamciam, would venture to relate any thing concerning the Creation of the World, or the Original of Things, which could be confuted by more ancient Writings, or was contradictory to the ancient and received Opinions : Or that he would relate any Thing of Matters in his own Time, that could be con- futed by the Testimony of many Persons then alive, {c) Diodorus Siculus, and {d) Straho, aud Pliny, (o) Jrabians, &c.} Those I mean, that descended from Ismael. (4) Pkanicians, &c.] Namely, the Caruumtes, and the neighbouiing Nations, who had continual* Wan) with the Hdirews. (c) Diodorus Sicuhu, &c.] In his First Book, where be treats of those who made the Gods to be the Authors of tbcit Laws, and adds : "' Amongst tiie Jews was Moses, who called *' God by the Name of low, lao," where by tiu, laa, he means nin* Jehovah, which was so pronounced by the Ora- cles, and in the Orphic Vei-ses mentioned by the Aotients, and by the Btsilidian Heritics, and other Gnostics. The same Name the Tynans, as we learn frova Philo BitHtts, pro- nounced Iw*, leno, others lent, laou, as We see in CAnn« Akxandrinus. The Samaritans pronounced it 'laSai, Igbai, as we read in Theodoret; for the Eastern People added to the same Words, some one Vowel, and some another ; from whence it is that there is such Difference in the proper Names in thie Old Testament. PMlo rightly observes, that this Word signifies Existence. Besides Diodorus, of those who make mention of Moses, the Ezhortation of the Crreeks, which is ascribed to Jut- tin, names ApjAon, Ptolemy on Mandesias, Hellamais, Philo' chorus, Castor, Thallus, Alexander the Historian : and Cyril mentions some of them in his First Book against Julian. (rf) Strabo, &c.] "The Place is in the Sixteentli Book, where he thinks that Moses was an Egyptian Priest ; which he had from the Egyptian Writers, as appears in Josephus : After- wards, he adds his own Opinioii, which has some Mistakes in it. " Many who worshipped the Deity, agreed with him {Moses) : " for he both said and taught, that the Egi/ptians did aot " rightly conceive of God, when they likened him to wild " Beasts and Cattle; nor the lo/bians nor the Greeict, in resem- " blii% him by a human Shape ; for God is lio other thaH F " that 66 O^ THE TRUTH OF THE [Book V (a) Pliny, (b) Tacitus, and after them {«) Dimysius Longinus (concerning Loftiness of Speech) make Mention of Mo'ses^-. (d) Besides the Talmzidists, Pliny " that Uiy verse which surrounds usj the Earth, and the Sea, "and the Heaven, and the World, and the Nature of, all " Things,, as they are called by us. Who (says he) that h^s " any understanding; would presume to form any Image like " to these Tilings that are about us? Wherefore we ought to " lay aside all carved Images, and worship him in the inner- " most Part of a Temple worthy of him, without any Fi- " gure." He adds, tha;t this was the Opinion of good Men : He adds also, that sacred Riles were instituted by him, which were not burdensome for the Costliness, nor hi'teful,. as pro- ceeding from Madness. He mentions Circumcision, the Meats that were, forbidden, and tha like ; and after he had, shown that Man was ' naturally desirous of civil Society, he tells us that it is promoted by divine and human Precepts, but more effectually bjl tfJivine. (a) Pliny, &c.] Book XXX, Chap. 1. «' There is " another Sect of Itlagicians, which sprang from Moses" And Juvenal : They learn, and keep, and fear the Jewish law. Which Moses in his secret. Volume gave, (6) Tacitus, &c,] History V. Where, according to thft Egyptian. Fables, Moses is called " one of those that weVe " banished." (f) Dionysius Longinus, &c.] He lived in theTime of j^a< r«/ic(«^^e Emperor, a Favourite of Zenobia, Queen of the -Faln^^ns.. In this Book of the Sublime, after he had said, that they who speak of God, ought to take CaVe to represent him, as Great and Pure, and without Mixture : He adds, " Thus does he who gave Laws to the Jews, who was an ex- " traordinary Man, who conceived and spoke worthily of the " Power of God, when he writes in the Beginning of his:Laws, " let thej-e be Earth, and it was so." Chalcidiid tdok-many Things out of Moses, of whom he speaks thus: " Meses was " the wisest of Men, who, as they say, was enlivened not by " human Eloquence, but by Divine Inspiration. . (d) Besides- the Talmudists, &c.5 In the Gemara, in the Title, Concerning' Oblations, and the Chapter, All the Oblations of the Synagogue. -To which add the TaiicAumcif or Ilmedenu. Mention is there made of the chief of Pharaoh's Magicians, and Sect. 16.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 67 (a) PlinyL and {b)/4pulews, speak of Jamnes and Mambres, vvho resisted Moses in Egypt, {c) Sotne Things there are in other Writings, and many Things amongst the {d) Pythagoreans, about the Law and their Discourse with Moses is related. Add also Numenius, Book III. concerning the Jews, Eusebius quotes his Words, Book VIII. Chaj). 8. " Afterwards Jamnes and Mambres, " Egyptian Scribes,.. were thought to be famous for magical " Arts, about the Time that the Jews were driven out of " Egypt ; for these w«re they who were chosen, out of the " Multitude of the Egyptians, to contend with ' Mustevs the " Leader of the Jews, a mati very powerful with God by *' Pi'ayers ; and they seem to be able to repel those sore " Calamities which were brought upon ■ Egypt by Musxus." Where Moses is called Musan^, a Word very near it, as is cus- tomary with the Greeks, as others call Jesus, Jison; and Saul, Paul: Origeii against Celsus refers us to the sanie Place of JVume- nius, Artapanus in the same Eusebius, Book IX.^ap. 27. calls them \he Priests oiMeihphis, who were commanded by the King to be put to Death, if they did not do Things equal to Moses. (a) Pliny, &c.] In the forecitfed l*lace. ^ « (i) Apuleiiis, &c.] In his Second Apologetic. . ' (c) Some Things there are, &c.] As in Straho, Tacitus, and Theophrastus, quoted by Porphyry, in his Second Book against eating living Creatures, where he treats of Priests and Burrit- Oiferings; and in the Fourth Book of the same Work, where he speaks of Fishes, and other living Creatures, that were for- bidden to be eaten. See the Plaoe of Heca/ceus, in Josephus's First Book agairtst Appion, and in Eusebius' s Preparat. Book IX, Chap. 4. You have the Law of avoiding the Customs of strange Nations, in Justin's and Tacitus's Historic- : of not eating Swine's Flesli, in Tacitus's Juvenal, Plutarch's Sympos. iv. and Macrobius from the Ancients. >In tlie same Place of Plutarth, you Will find mention of the Levites, and the pitch- ing of .the Tabernacle. (d) Pythagoreans, &c.] • Hermippus in the Life of Pythago- ras, quoted by Josephus against Appion, BookJI. "These " Things he said and did, .imitating t|»sOpinion of the Jews " a.ad Thracians, and transferring them^tb himself; for truly " this Man took many Things into his o^yn Philosophy, from " the Jewish Laws." To abstain from Creatures that die of themselves, is put among the Precepts of Pythagoras, by Hm F 2 rocle^ 68 - OF THE TRUTH Of THE [Book U Law and Rites givea by Moses, (a) Sirdh and Jus- tin, out of Tragus, remarkably testify concerning the Religion and Righteousness of the ancient Jkwf; So that there seems to be no need of mentioning what is found, Or has formerly been found oi Jo- shua and others, agreeable to the Bebrevo Books ; seeing, that whoever gives credit \q Moses (which it Is a shame foe any one to refuse) cannot but believe rocks, and Porphyry in his Epi&tle to Aufbo, arid Mlian, Book IV. that is, Qi)t of Xmf. iv.^ IS. Deut. xiv. 21. "Th.ou " shall not engvave the Figure df God on a Ring," is taken put of Pytkag9ras,"m' Malchtis's or Porphyry's Exhortation to Philosophy, and in Wexems Ldertius : and this from the Second Coiirtnandraont. " Take not away that which thoa didst not "place," Josephus, in his Second -Book a.gninst App'mn, puts amiongst the jeidsh Precepts, and Philosiratus anjorigst the Pythagoreans, Jamhlicus says, " A tender and fruitful' Tree " ought npt'to be corrupted or hurt." which he had out of Deuteronomy xx. ip. The forementioned Hermippua ascribes thiis to Pythagoras, not to pass by a Place where an Ass was set upon his Knees : 'The foundation of whic^. is the Story in Ntmb. xxii. 27. Po-p^^vr^ acknowledges that Plata too];. many Things from the Hebrews. You will see Part of them in Eusebius's Preparation. (I suspect that Her.mippus, or Jose- pkxis, instead 'Of Jtws, should have said /rfawns, that is-, the Priest lofjapj^er Iclxm mCrete, whom Pythagoras envied. See Sir John Marshain's Collecti6n of these, in his Teiith Age of the Egyptian AfaiCs. 2.e CkYc.) (fl) Strabo a«d Justin, &C.3 Siraie iii his, Fourteenth Book, after the History o( Moses, says, "That his followers fpr a " considerable Time, kept his Precepts, and were truly righte- '' ous and godly." And a little after he says that those who believed iu Moses, " worshipped God, and were Lovers of " Ecjility. And Jmtin thus says'. Book XXX VI. _ Chap. 2. "Whose ftigbteousness (viz. the Kings and Priests) ! mixed "withHeligion, increased beyond Belief." Aristotle also (wit- ness Clearchys in his Second Book of Sleep, which Josephm transcribed) give's a great Character of a Jca; whom he had seen, of his Wisdom and Learning. Tacitus, among his ra'ahy Falsities, sSy* this one Truth, " that the Jews worshipped " that Supreme and Eternal Being, who was immutaWe, and " could not perish ;. " that is, God (as pirn. Cassius speaks, ^eatjiig of the same Jexus) " who is ineffable and invisijife." Sect. 16.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 6^ those famous Miracles done by the Hand of God; which is the principal Thing here aimed at, Now that the Miracles of late Date, such as those of (fl) Blija, Elisha, and others, should not be coun- terfeit, there is this further Argument ; that in tliose Times fudcea was become more knpwn, and because of the Difference of Religion was hated by the Neighbours, who could very easily confute the first Rise of a Lie. The History of JonaJis being three Days in the Whale's Belly is in {h) Lycopkf on ^nd j^neus Gas^eus, only under the Naipe oi Herculfs; to advance whose Fame, every tbiflg that was great and noble used to be related of I^m, as (c) Tacitus observes. Certainly nothing but the manifest Evidence of the History could compel Julian (who was as great an enemy to the Jews as to the Christians) to confess {d) that there were some; Men inspired by the Divine Spirit amongst the Jews, and {e) that Fire descended from (a) Elijah, &c.] Concerning whose Prophecy ^asebifts says, Prep. Book IX. Chap. 30. that Eupvlemus wrote a Boo^. In the 39th Chapter of the same Book, Eusebius quotes a Place of his,, concerning tlie Prophecies of Jeremiah. (b) Lycopkron, &c.] The Verses are these : Of that three-nighted Lion, whom of old, / ' Triton's_;?(rrce Dog witji furious Jaws devour' d. Within -whose Bowels, tearing his Liver, He rolled, burning -with Heat, though without Fire, His Head with Drops of' Sweat bedew' d all o'er. Upon which Place Tzetses says, " because he was thre? Days^ "within the ^hale." And Mneus Gazeus in TheppArastus : " According to the Story of Htrculis, who was saved by a. " Whale swallowing him up, when the Ship in which he sailed " was wrecked." (c) Tacitus, &c.] And Servius, as Varro and Veniws Flac- «us affirm. (d) That there were some, &c.] Book III. in Cyril. (e) That Fire descended, &c.] Julian in the Tenth Book of Cyril : " Ye refuse to bring Sacrifices to the Altar and offer ' «« them, 70 - 'op the truth of the [Book I. from Heaven, and consumed the Sacrifices o( Moses and EUas. And here it is worthy of Ob- servation, that there was not only very (a) severe Punishments threatened amongst the Hebrews, to any who should falsely assume the Gift of Prophecy, (b) but very many Kings, who by that Means might have procured great Authority to them- selves, and many learned Men, (c) such as Esdrai and others, dared not to assume this honour to themselves'; {d) nay, some Ages before Christ's^ Time^ nobody dared to do it. Much less could so many thousand People be imposed upon, in avouching a constant and public Miracle, I mean " them, because the Fire does not descend from Heaven and " consume the Sacrifices, as it did in Moses's Time ; This " happened once to Moses, and again long after to Elijali tlie " Tishhite." See what follows concerning the Fire from Hea-^ ven. Cijprian, in III, of his Testimonies, says, '< That ir\ " Sacrifices, all those that God accepted of, Fire came down " from Heaven, and consumed the Things sacrificed." Me- nander alsa in his Phcenician History, mentions that great Craught, which happened in the Time of iVia*, that is, when Ithoiahts reigned amongst the Tyrians, See Josiphus in his ^«- cient History, 'Rook Will. Cha.^. 7. '' (a) Severe Pmishmenis, &c.} See Dcut. xiii. 5. xviii, 20, and the following. (6) But iiery many Kings,' &cc.] Npbody dared to do it after David. . (t) Such as Esdras,~ &c. The Hebrews used to remark upoii those Times, " Hitherto the ProphetS;, now begin the Wi^e " Men," ((if) Nay, some Ages before Christ' s-Time, &c.] Therefore in the First Book oi Maccabees, iv, 46. we read, that the Stones of the Altar which were defiled were laid aside, " until there " should come a Prophet to shew what should be done with " them.'' And in the ixth Chap. Ver. 27. of the sattieBookj;^ " So was there a great Affliction in Israel, the like whereoif " had never been since the Time that there were jio Prophets .'* amongst them." The same we find in the Talmud,, iri the Title concerning the Council. that Sect. 16.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 71 (a) that of the Oracle, (^) which shlned on the High Priest's Breast, which is so firmly believed by all the Jetvs, to have remained, till the de- struction of the first Temple, that their Ances- tors must of Necessity be well assured of the Truth of it. (a) That oftheOrcKle, &c.] See Exodus xxviii. 30. Levit. viii. 8. Numb; xxvii. 2). Deut. xxxiii. 8. » 1 Sam. xxi. U. xxii. 10, 23, 25. xxiii. 2, 5, 9, 10, 11,12. xxviii, 6~- Add Nehem. vii. 6"5. And Josephus's Book III. Q, This is what is meant by the Words 'ifaTwi iii^m, " the consulting (an Ora^ " clc) where you will have an Answer as clear as light itself." In the Son of Sirfichj XXXIII. 4. For the Word , making clear, as Exod, xxviii . 26. Lev, viii. 8. They also translate ts'DD T/iumin, ayA^iuM, Truth: the Egyptians imitated this, just as'Children do Men. Diodorus, Book. I, re- Jating the Affaire of the Egyptians, says ^{ the Chief Judge, "That he hatli Truth hanging aboTit his Neck." And again afterwards, " The King commands that all Things necessary "and fitting should be provided for the Subsistence of the " Judges, and that the Chief Judge should have great Plenty. " This Man carries about his Neck an Image of precious Stones, '• hanging on a golden Chain, which' tiiey call Truth, and tbey "then begin to hear. Cases, when the 'Chief Judge has fixed " this Image of Truth." And JElian, Book XIV. Chap. 24. of his Various History, " The Judges in old Time'iimon^t the " Egyptians, were Priests, the oldest of which was Chief Priest, " who judgpd every one; and he ought to be a very just Man, " and one that spared nobody. He wore an Oinaraent about " his Neck, made of Sapphire Stone, which was calii'fl Truth." The Babylonish Gemara,C\i. I. of the Book called Joma,' says. that somethings in the first Temple were wanting in the second, as the Ark with the Mercy Seat, and the Cherubim's, the Fire coming from Heaven, the Shecinah, the Holy Ghost, and the Urim and Thumim. • i , , (6) Which shined on the High Priest's Breast, -jrc] This is a Conjecture of the Rabbins, without any Foundation froni Scripture. It is much more credible, that the Priest pronounced the Oracle with his Mouth. See our Observations., on Ej(od. ;{xviji. 3Q. JVaw^. xxvii. 31. Le Clerc. 73 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book I, sect: XVII. Tie same frovsd also from Pf^dictiofff. THERE is another Argjimenf to prove the Providence of God, very like to this of Miracles, and no less poweriul> drawn from the foretelling of future Events, which was very often and very expressly done amongst the Hebrews ; such as the («*) Man's being childless w^ho should rebuild Je- richo ; the destroying the Altar of Bethel, by King Josiak by Name {b) above three hundred If ears before it came to pass : So also /jA/'a^ foretold the {c) very Name and principal Acts of Cyrus ; and Jeremiah the Event of the Siege of Jerusalenii af^er it w^as surrounded 'by the Chaldneans ; and Daniel (d) the Translation of the Empire from the jissy- rians to the Medes and Persians, and (e) from them to Alexander of Maced&i', (f) >vhose Successors to Part of his Kingdom were to be the Posterity of Lagus and Seleums ; and. what Evils the Hebrews should undergo from all these, particularly "(^) the famous (a) The Man's iting childless, &C.] Compare Joshua vi. Z6., witii 1 K^gt xvi. 34. « . , ' '(6) Ahow three hundfedTears,k.c.'\ CCCLW, ^i J Oitphus thinks in his Ancient Histoty, Boole X. Chap. 5. ■ (c) The very Name, &c,] Chap. xxi{vii. xxxviii. For the fulfilling, see Ch. xxxix. and lii. BMsehiys, Book IX. Ch. 39, of his Prepurat. Iwings a Testimony out of Eupalcrmis, both of the Prophecy, and the fulfilling of it, (rf) The Trmidtttian qf the Empire^ &c.] Daniel i, Z1. 39. V, 28. "vii. 5. viii. 3, ZO, x. 20. xi. 2. (e) 'Fnm them to Alexander, IScc."] In the. foi'ecit(sd Ch. ii. 32 an^,39. vii. 6. viii. S, 6, 7, S, 21. x. 20. "xi. 3, 4. : Wkose SuccetsorSfkc^ Chap. ii. 33, 40, vii, 7, 19, 2Si 2*, viii. 28. X, 5^ 6, 7, 8, 9. 10, 11, 19, 13, 14, 15, \6, 17, ,18, 19, 20. (g) The famous Antiochns, &c,] vii, 8, 11, 20, 24, 25. viii. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 23,24, 25, 26. xi. 21, 8S,'23, 24, 25, Sect. 17.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. U famous Antiochus ; so vei-y plainly, (a) that Por-^ fhyryy who compared the Grteeian Histories, extant in his Time» with the Prophecies, could not make it out any other Way, but by saying, that the Things ascribed to Daniel, were wrote aftter they came to pass ; which is the, same as if anyone should deny, that what is now extant itnder the Name of yirgil, and was always thought to be his, was Writ" by him m Augustus's T\mQ. For there was n^er any more"'Doubt amongst th© ffehre^s, concerning trie one, than thfere was amongst' the Komam, "concernihg the other. Tti' alt wHidi may be added,' the ; many and express Oracles - (b) amongst those of Mexkd and Perti, which fdre- told the coming of the Spaniards into those Parts, and the Calamities that woiild follow. . And hy other Arguminfs. {c) TO thi§ may be referred very many Dreams exactly agreeing with the Events ; which both as to themselves and their Causes were so utterly, un- 95, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45. xii. 1, 2, 3, II. Josephus explains tiiese Places as we do, Book.X. Ch. 12; and- Book: Xy;.Ch. 11; and Book I. Ch. 1. of his Jewish War. Ciiysast&nll. against the Jews ; making use of the TestimQny of JosfjiSus^ and Pa- lickronius, and other Greek Writers. (a) TAtftPorphyry.&c.l See Jerom upon Daniel t^roxighoat. (A) Amongst those of Mexico, he,'] {GarciUazza:.de,la Vega) Jnca, Acosta. Herrtm, and others, relate strange ThijifsQfihese OracFes. See Peter Ciezza, Tome II. ©f the Jahe us-es to do other's, very learnedly ; where, amongst other Things, hfr' says, *' Thijit you destroy the Nature of Virtue, If " ybu take away Liberty." „t '^ti)'Li&itfi,Eoai tli&j themselves, &e.] Concerning this w)foIe Matter, sfete tKe Note at Sect. VUL some 78 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book ti some goed- Men, oppressed by the Fury of the Wicked, should not only lead a troublesome Life, but also undergo an infamous Death ; we must not presently from hence conclude against a Divine Providence ; which, as we have before observed, is established by such strong Arguments ; but rather, with the wisest Men, draw this following Inference: SECT. XXL This may he turned upon them, so as to protie, that Souls survive Bodies. THAT since God has a Regard to human Actions, who is himself just; and yet these Things come to pass in the mean Time ; we ought to expect a judgment after this Life, lest either re- markable Wickedness should continue unpunish- ed, or eminent Virtue go unrewarded and fail of Happiness. SECT. XXII. Which is confirmed hy Tradition. In {a) order to establish this, we.muSt first shew, that Souls remain after they are separated from their Bodies; which is a most antient Tradition derived from our' first Parents (whence else could it come ?) to almost all civilized People ; as ap- pears {V) from Homers Verses, {c) and from the Philo- (a) In order to establish this, &c.] Whoever has a mind to read this Argument more largely handled, I refer him to. G|rj(r sostom on 1 Cor. Ch. xv. and to his Ethics^ Tome VI. agamst those who affirm that human affairs are regulated hy Dcemmis,: And to his Fourth discourse upon ProM(/eHce. (b) From Homer's Verses, &c.] Especially on that Part cal'l- .ed viKvla, concerning those that art departed To which may be added, the like in Virgil, in Stneca'&OEdipus, Lucan, Statins, and that in Samuel, I Sam. xxviii. (c) And from the Fkilosophers, &c.] Pherecydes, Pythagoras, AXii Plato, and all the' Dispiples of them. To these Justin adds Sect. 21, 22.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 79 Philosopbers, not only the Greeks, bpt also the ancient Gauls, [a) which were called EXri4ds, and {i) from the Indians called Brachmans, and from those Things, which many Writers have related, {c) concerning the Egyptiaifs (d) ajid. Thracians, and also by the Germans. And moreover, concerning adds Emp'edocles, and many Oracles in his Second Apologetic ; and Zenocfates. {a) Which were called Druids, &c.] These taught that Souls did not die. See Ccisar, Book'Vl. of the War with the Gauls, and Strabo, Booli IV. of the same. " These and others " say, that Souls are incorruptible;" (see also Lucati, Boolf I. 455.) (i) AnAfnmi iAe Indians caZZerf Brachmans,' &c.] Whose Opinion Strabo expkins to us thus,: Book XV. " We are to *' think of this- Life, as of the State of a Child before it be " born ; and of Death, as a Birth to that which is truly Life " and happiness to wise Men." See also a remarkable Place ■concerning this Matter, in Por-phyry's Fourth Book, against eating Living Creatures. (c) Con,ce»'7?ing ife Egyptians, &c.] Herodotus in his Enter pt says, that it was the Opinion of the Egyplians, " That the " Soul of Man was immortal." The same is reported of them by Diogenes La'ertius, in his Preface, and by Tacitus, Book V. of his. History of the Jeus. " They buried rather than burnt "their Bodies, after the Manner of the Egyptians ; they hav- " ing the same Regard and Persuasion concerning the Dead." See Diodorus Siculit.t, concerning the Soul of 0«'m; and Ser- vius on the Sixth ^neid, most of which is taken- from the Egyptians. (rf) And Thracians, &c.'] See again here, the places of Hcrmippus, concerning Pythagoras, which we before quoted out of JosepKus. Mela, Book II. concerning the Thracians, says, " Some think, that the Souls of those who die, return " again ; othersj that though they do not retnrn, yet they do " not die", but go to a more happy Place;" And Soliaus con- cerning the same. Chap. X. -" Some t)f them think, that the " Souls of those w-ho die, return again ; others, that' they do " not die, but are made more happy." Hence arose that Cus- tom of attending the Funerals with great Joy, mentioned by these Writers, and by Valerius Max. Book I. Chap. ?. 12, That which we before quoted out of the S'choKast Upon Aris' tophanes, makes this the more credibly viz. that some of the Hebrews of old came out of Thrace, ' a Divine 80 OF THE TRUl^ OF THE fBook t. a Divine Judgment after this Life, we find many Things extant, not only among the Greeks (a) bot also amongst the Egyptians {h) and Indians, as Strahof Diogenes, Ldertius, and {c) Plutarch tell us : To which we may add a Tradition, that the World should be Tpurnt ; which was found of old {d) in Hystqspes and the Sybils, and now also (e) in Ovid (f) and 'Lucan, and amongst the (fl) Bi/^ flZso amo»»^-«f -^e Egyptians, &c.] Hiodprus Siciilus, Book I. says, that what Orpheus AtYiveieA, concerning Souls departed, was taken from the Egyptians, Repeat what we how quoted out of Tucitiis. (i) jtfuij Indians, &c.] Amongst- whose Opinions, Strabo Book XV. reckons that " Concerning the Judgments that are •' exercised amongst th« Souls departed." (c) And Plutarch, &c.] Concerning those whose Punish- ment is deferred by the Gods, and conperuing the Face of the Moon's Orb. See a famous PJace of his, quoted by Eusebius, Book XI. Ch. 38. of his Gospel Preparat. out of the Dialogue concerning the Soul. (d) In Hystaspes and the Sibyls, &c.] See J-nstin's Second Apolngttic, and Cfemen*,, Strom. VI. whence is quoted that from the Tragedian. J For certainly the Day will come, 'twill come. When the bright Sky shall from his Treature send A liquid Fire, vhose all-devouring Flames,, By Laws unbounded, shall destroy the Earth, And iihet's above it ; all shall vanish then. The Water 9f the beep shall turn to Smoke, The Earth shall cease to nourish Trees ; the Air, Instead of bearing vp the' Birds, shall burn. (e) Ovid, &c.] Metamorphoses, Book I, For he remembered 'twas by Fate decreed Tofutnre Times, that Sea, and Earth, and Heav'n Should bum, and this tost Frame of Nature frail. (f) And Lucan, &c.] Book I. So lohen this frame vf Nature is dissolv'dj And the lest Hours in future Times, cpproacti. All to its ancient Chaos shall return ; The Stars confounded tumbbe inio Sea, The Earth-refuse its Bank*, and try to throw The Sect. 23?] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 81 (c) the Indians m Siam ; a Token o^ which, is the^ Sun's approaching "nearer to the Earth, (J) ob- served by Astronomers. So likewise, upon the first going into the Canary Islands and Anierica,axiA other distant places, the same Opinion conceriiirtg' Souls and .Judgnaent was found there. SECT. XXIII. - And no Way repugnant to Reason. («) NEITHER can we find any Argument drawn from Nature, which overthrows this, an an- cient The Ocean off. The Moon attach the Sun, Driving her Chariot through the burning Sky, Enrag'd and challenging to rule the Day. , The Order of the World's disturb' d throughout, Lucan was preceded by his Uncle Seneca, in the End o/ his Book of Murcia; " The Stars shall run upon epch o.ther ; and " every Thing being on a Flame, that, wliich now shines re- " gularly, shall then burn in one Fire." ■ ' (c) The Indians in Siam, &c.3 See Ferdinand Mendesius, (d) Observed Sg Astronomers, &c.] See Gopernicus's Revolu- tions, Book. III. Chap. l6. Joachim liheeticus on Copernicus, and Gemma Frisius. See also Ptolemy, Book III. Ch. 4. of his Ma- thematical Syntax. That the World is not now upheld by that Power it was formerly, as itself declares ; " and that its Ruin " is evidenced, by the Proof, how the Things in it fail," says Cyprian to Demetrius. The Earth is nearer to the Sun in its Peri/ielions, tbat is, when it is in the extreme parts of the lesser Axis of its Parabola, though the Earth always approaches at the same Distances; yet it is manifest from hence, that at the Will of God, it may approach still nearerj and' if it so pleases him, be set on Fire by the Sun, as it hap|)en8 t-o Comets. Le Clerc. " It were to be wished that the learned Remarker had left out " this and some other Notes of this Kind, unless he had studied " such sort of things more." ir (e) Neither can we find any Argument', &c.] This Matter might be handled more exactly, and upon better Pr.ii\ciples of Philosophy, if our Room, woiild allow it, I. We ought to de-, fine what we mean by the Death of the Sou/, which would hap- pen, if either the Substance of the Sovil were reduced to no- thing, or if tliere were so great a Change made in it, that it ■ G Wjere 82 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book I. cient and extensive Tradition : For all those Things which seem to us to be destroyed, are either de- stroyed by the Opposition of something more pow- erful than themselves, as Cold is destroyed by the greater Force of Heat ; or by taking avcay the Siib- were deprived of the Use of all its Faculties; thiis material Things are said to be.destroyed, if either their Substance ceases to be, or if their Form be so altered, that they ai;e no longer of the same Species; as when Plants are burnt orputrefigd ; the like to which befals Brute Creaturei. II. It cannot b& proved that the Substance of the Soul perishes : For Bodies are not entirely destroyed,^ but only divided, and their Parts sepa- rated from each other. Neither can any Man prove, that the Soul ceases to think, which is the Life of the Soul, after the Death of the Man; for it does not follow that when the Body is destroyed, the Mind is destroyed too, it having never yet been proved, that it is a material Substance. III. Nor has the contrary yet been made ajjpear, by certain philosophic Argu- ments, drawn from the Nature of the Soul ; because we are ignorant of it. It is true indeed, that the Soul is not, by its own Nature, reduced to nothing ; neither is the Body ; this must be done by the particular Act of their Creator. But it m3y possibly be without any Thought or- Memory; which State, as I before said, may be called the Death of it. But». IV. If the Soul, aftor the Dissolution of the Body, should re- main (or ever in that State, and never return to its Thought or Memory again, then there can be no Account given ^of Divine Providence, which has been proved to be by the foregoing Arguments. Gpd's Goodness'and Justice, the Love of Virtue^ and Hatred to Vice, which every one acknowledges in him, would be only empty Names; if he should confine his Benefits to the short and fading good Things of this Life, and make no Distinction betwixt Virtue and Vice ; both good and bad Mea equally perishing for ever, Vfithout seeing in this Life any Re- wards or Punishments dispensed to those who have done well or ill : And hereby God will cease to be God, that is the most perfect Being ; which, if we take away, we cannot give ,any Account of almos^any other Thing, as Grobis own Actions; a natural Desire of Immortality ; the Power of Con- science, MOk\da comforts him when he has perform- ed any good Actions, jthough never so difficult; andj on the contrary, (a) torments him, when he has done any bad Thing ; especially at the Ap- proach of Death, as it were, with a Sense of iin- pendirig Judgment ; (b) the Force of which, many Times could not be extinguished by the worst of Tyrants, though they have endeavoured it ever so much ; as appears by many Examples. (d)Torments.him whence has 4one, &c.] See Plcfto's Vatt -Book of his Coinmonieeulth: " When Death seems to approach, ".any one, 'Fear and Solicitude come upon him, about those " Things which before he did not think of." (6) The Force of which, &c.] Witness that Epistle of Tiieria* to the Senate.' " What I should write to you, O Senators, or " how I should write, or whati should not write, at this T?ime, " let the Gods and Goddesses destroy me, worse than I flow " feel myself to perish,' if I know."' Which Words, after Tacitus had recited in the Vlth of his Annals, he adds, " So " far did his Crimes and Wickedness turn to his Punishment. •' So true is that Assertion of the Wisest of Me», that if the " Breasts of" Tyrants were laid open, we might behold 'the " Gnawiflgs and Stingings of them ; for as the Body is bruised " with Stripes, so the Mind is torn with Rage and Lust and " evil Designs." Tha Person which Tacitus here means, is Plato, who says of a' Tyrsint, in Book IX. of his Common- wealth : " He would appear to be. in Reality a Beggar, if any " one could but see into his whole Soul ;' full of Fears all hjs '* Life long, full of Uneasiness and Torment." The same Philosopher has something like this in his Gorgias, _ Suetonius, Cfr. 67. being about to'recite the furementianed Epistle of Tibe- rius, introduces it thus: " At last when he was quite wearied *' put, in the Beginning of such an Epistle as this, he confesses "almost all his Evils." Clavdian had an Eye to this Place of JPtoo, when he describes Btt^flMS in his Second Poem. ' Stains ivithin Deform hii Breatt ; which bears the Stamp qf Vice, SECT. S5 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [BookL SECT. XXV. From whence itfoUoivs that the End of Man is Happiness after this Life. IF then the Soul be of such a Nature as con- tains in it no principles of Corruption ; and God has given us many Tokens, by which we ought to understand, that his Will is, it should remain after the Body ; there can be no end of Man, propo-s «ed more worthy of Him, than the Happiness of that State ; and this is what Plato and the Pytha^ goreans said, (a) that the End of Man was to be made most like God. "Thus what Happiness is^ and how to be secured, iVIen may make some Conjectures ; but if there be any Thing concern- ing it revealed from God, that ought to be esteemed most true and most certain. SECT. XXVI. Which we must secure^ by finding out the true Religion. NOW since theChristian Religion recommends itself above all others-; whether we ought to give Credit to it or no, shall te the Business of the Second Part of this Work to examine. (o) That the End of Man wat, &c.] Which the Stoics had from Flato, as Clemens remarks, Strom. V. BOOK Sect. 1, 2.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 87 BOOK II. SECT. I. That the Christian Religion is true. npHE Design then of this Second Book, " (after having put up our Petitions to Christ, the Xing of Heaven, that he would afford us such Assistance]^ of \m holy Spirit, as may render us sufficient ^t so great a Bivsiness) is not to treat particularly hi all the Opinions 'in Christianity ; but only to shew that the Christian Religion itself is most true and certain ; which we attempt thus. SECT. II. The Tfotfthat there was such a Person as Jesus. THAT Jesus of Nazareth formerly lived in Judaa, in the Reign of Tiberius the Roman Empe- ror, is constantly acknowledged, not only by Christians, dispersed all over the World, but also by all the Jews which now are, or have ever wrote since that Time ;'the same is also testified b^ Hea- thens, that is, such as did not write either of the Jtwishf oroftheChristianReligion,(<7) Origen, &c.] He flourished about the CCXXXth ' Year of Christ. {h) Tertullian, kc] Who was famous in the CCVHIth Year of Christ. (i) Clemens Alexandrinus, t(Ci} About the same Time. See Eusebiuf. , •, ; dent Sect. 4, 5.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 91 dent Men to make, in i Matter of the highest Concern to them ; they found, that the Report which was spread abroad, concerning the Mira- cles that were done by him, was true and founded upon sufficient Testimony; Such/ as healing sore Diseases, and those of a long Continuance^ only by a Word, and this publickly ; restoring Sight lo him that was born blind ; increasing Bread for the feeding of many thousands, who were all Witnesses of it ; restoring the Dead to Life again, and many other such like. SECT. V. Tf^ich Miracles cannot he ascribed to any Natural or Diabolical Power, but must be from God. Which Report Wd so certain and undoubted a Foundation, that Neither (a) Census, nor (b) Julian, when they wrote against the Christians, dared to deny that some Miracles were done by Christ ; (c) the Hebrews also confess it openly in the Books of the Talmud. That they were not performed by any natural Power, sufficiently appears from hence, that they are called Wonders or Miracles ; nor can it ever be, that grievous Distempers should be healed immediately only by a Word speaking, or a Touch, by the Power of Nature, If those Works could have been accounted for, by any natural Efficacy, it would have been said so at first, by thpse, who (a) Celms, &c.J Whose Words, in Book II. of Origen^ are: " You think he is the Son of God, because he healed " the Lame and the Blind." (i) Julian, &c.] Nay, he plainly confesses the Thing, wh«n he says -in the Words recited by Cyril, Book VI. "Unless " any one will reckon amongst the most difficult Thipgs, " healing the Lame and the Blind, and casting out Devils in " BetAsaida and Bethany." « (c) Tie Hebrews also, kc] In the Title 4buda Zara. either St OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book IL either professed themselves !^nemies of Christ when he was upon Earth, or of his Gospel. By the' like Argument we gather, that they were nob juggliitg Tricks, because very many of the Works were dolie openly, («) in the Sight of all' the People ; and amongst whom were many learned Meh, who bore no good Will to Christ, who observed all his Works. To which we may add, that the likd Works were often repeated, and the Effects were not of a short Continuance, but lasting. All which, rightly considered, as it ought to be, it will plainly follow, according to»the Jews' own Confession that these Works were d0n6 by some povver more than human, that is, by some good or bad Spirit : That these Works were not the Effects of any bad Spiriti is from hence evident, that this Doctrine of Christ for the Proof of which these Works were performed, was opposite to those evil Spirits : For it forbids the Worship of evil Spirits ; it draws Men off from all Immortality, in which such Spirits delight. It appears also, from the Things themselves, -thkt wherever this Doctrine has been received, the Worship of Demons and {i) Magical Arts have ceased ; and the one God has been worshipped, with an Abhorrence of Demons ; whose Strength and Power (r) Porphyry acknowledges were br&ken upon the coming of Christ. And it is not at. all credible, that any evil Spirits should be so impru- dent, as to do those Things, and that very often, from which no Honour or Advantage could arise to them, but, on the contrary, great Loss and Disgrace. Neither is it any Way consistent with (s) In the sight of all the People, kc.'\ /4c/* xxvi. 28, liiiicXii. (i) Magical Arts, &c.] The Books about which were burnt by the Advice of the Disciples of Christ, Acts xix, 19, (e) Porphyry acknowledges, &c.] The Place is \t\Eu^h^'s Frceb. Book V. Ciiap, 3. " After Christ was worshipped " nobody experienced any public Benefit from the Gods." the Sec*. 5.] CHRI§TI4^,:^EU^0N. 93 thfi Goodness or. Wisdom of Qod, t^^ foe, shpi^ld be thought to suffer Men, wtip were fr^^ from all wicked designs, and who feared hinij to be de- gpiyed by the Cunning of ,II^evil^; and such.:were the first Disciplgive Credit to his Doctrini? ; nor could they, who beheld them, conqeive any.otb^r Reason in .their Minds :. Amongst whom,, since there were many of a pious Disposition, as w^s said before, it would be prophane to think God should do . them > to impose upon ^sjich. , And this was the rale Reason why many of the Jews, who (a) To give Credit to hUPoctrin?, &c.] We may add that; the Event itself, in th^t so great a Part of Mankind embrace^ theClvnstian Religion, shew, that it was a Thing ^0 worlhy n^ £iod as iTor him to confirm it vvith Miracles at the Begin- 1? ff he diaTo many for the Sake of one Nation, and Sno very great one, I mean the Jew^; how muph more agrerble I Us goodness was it to bestow this heavenly Light, *ITo gteat a Part of Mankind, t*te^lay m the thickest Dark- ness. Le Clare. lived 54 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book II, lived near the Time of Jesus, {a) who yet could not be brought to depart from any Thing of the Law given by Moses, (such as they who were called Jifazarenes and Ebionites) nevertheless owned Jesui to be a Teacher sent from Heaven. SECT. VI. The Resurrection of Christ proved from credihte^ Testimony. CHRIST'S coming to Life again in a wonderful Manner, after his Crucifixion, Death and Bu- rial, affords us no less strong an Argument for those Miracles that were done by him. For the Chris- tians of all Times and Places assert this not only for a Truth, but as the principal Foundation of their Faith : which could riot be, unless they, wh<) first taught the Christian Faith, had fully persuaded their Hearers, that the Thing did not come to pass. Now they could not fully persuade Men, of anjf Judgment, of this, unless they affirmed themselves to be E^e-witriesses of it ; for without such an Af- firmation, no Man in his Senses Vvould have be- lieved them, especially at that Time, when such a Belief was attended with so many Evils and Dan- gers. That this was affirmed by them with great (a) IFho yet could not be brought, &c.] See Acts xv. Rom, xiv.. Jerom in the Easebian Chronicon, for the Year of Christ CXXV. after behadnamedfifteenChristianBishops af Jerusalem, adds. " These were all Bishops of the Circumcision, who " governed till the Destruction of Jerusalem under the Em- *' peror Adrian." Stterus Sulpitius, concerning the Christians of those Times and Places, says, " They believed Christ to be " God, whilst they observed also the Law ; and the Chtifch had a Priest out of thos^ of the Circumcision." See Epipka- nius, where he treats of the Nazarenes and Ebionites. Nazarenes was a Name not for any particular Part, but all the Christians inPakstine were so called, because theirMaster was a Nazarene. Constancy, Sect. 6.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION. , 95 ' Constancy, their own Books, (a) and the Books of others, tell us ; nay, it appears from, those Books, that they appealed to (b) five hundred Witnesses, who saw Jesus- after he was risen from the Dead; Now it is not usual for those who speak Untruths, to appeal to so many Witnesses. Nor is it possible so many Men should agree to bear a false Testi- mony. And if there had been no other Witnesses, but those twelve known: first Propagators of the Christian Doctrine, it had been sufficientr No- body has any ill Design for nothing. They could not hope for any Honour, from saying what was not true, because all the Honours were in the power of the Heathens, and Jews, by whom they were approached and contemptuously treated : Nor for Riches, because on the contrary, this Profes- sion was often attended with the Loss of their Goods, if they had any ; and if it had been other- wise, yet the Gospel could not have been taught by them, but with the Neglect of their temporal Goods. Nor could any other Advantages of this Life provoke them to speak a Falsity, when the very preaching of the Gospel exposed them to Hardship, to Hunger and Thirst, to Stripes and Iniprisoo(ment, Fame, amongst themselves only, was not so great, that for the Sake thereofy Men of upright Intentions, whose Lives and Tenets were free from Pride and. Ambition, should under- go so many Evils, Nor had they any Ground to hope, that their Opinion, which was so repugnant to Nature, (which is wholly bent upon its own (a) And the Books of others, &c.] Even of Celsus, who wrote against the Christians. See Origen, Book II. (A) Five hundred Witnesses, &€."] Favl, 1 Cor. xv. 6, He. says', some of them were dead at that tipie, but their Chil- dren and Friends weie alive, who might be hearked to, and testify what they had heard, but the greater Part of them were alive when Paw/wrote this. This Appearance was a IVlountain in Gaiilee. Ad van- 95 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book II. Advantages) and to the Authority which every where governed, could make so great a Progress, but from a Divine Promise. Further, they could not promise to themselves that this Fame, what- ever it was, would be lasting; because (God on purpose concealed his I-ntention in this Matter from them) they expected that (a) the End of the whole World was just at Hand, as is plain from their own Writings, and those of the Christians that came after them . It remains therefore, that they must be said to have uttered a Falsity, for the Sake of defending their Religion ; which, if we consider the Thing aright, can never be said of them ; for either they believed from their Heart that their Religion was true, or they did not be- lieve it. If' they had not believed it to have been the best, they would never have chosen it from all other Religions, which were more safe and honourable. Nay, though they believed 4t to be true, they would not have made a Profession of it, unless they had believed such a Profession necessary ; especially when they could easily fore- see, and they quicldy learnt by Experience, that such a Profession would be attended with the Death of a vast Number ; and they would have been guilty of the highest Wickedness, to have given such Occasion without a just Reason. If they believed their Religion to be true, nay, that it was the best, and ought to be professed by all Means, and this after the Death of their Master; it was impossible this should be, if their Master's Promise concerning his Resurrection had failed (a) The End of the whole World, &(r.] See 1 Thess. iv, 15. 16. 1 Cor. XV. 52. Tertullian of having but one Wife: •' Now the-Time is very short." Jerom to Gerontis : "What *• is that to us, upon whom the Ends of the World are « come ?" them} Sect. 6.3 CHRISTIAN RELIGIOi^. 97 them ; (a) for this had been sufficient to any Man in his Senses, to have overthrown that belief which he had before entertained : Again, all Religion, but particularly the Christian Religion, forbids (b) Lying and False Witness, especially in Diving Matters : they could not therefore be moved to tell a Lye; out of Love to Religion, especially sQch a Religion. To all which may be added, that they were Men who led such a Life, as was not blamed even by their Adversaries ; and who , had no Objection made against them, (c) but only their Simplicity, the Nature of which is the most distant that can be from forging a Lye. " And there was none of them, who did not undergo even the most grievous Things, for their Profession of the Resurrection of Jesus. Many of them en- dured the most exquisite Death for this Testimony. Now, suppose it possible, that any Man in his Wits could undergo such Things for an Opinion he had entertiained in his Mind ; yet for a Falsity, and which is known to be a Falsity ; that not only one Man, but very many should be willing to endure such Hardships, is a thing plainly inct:e- dible. And that they were not Mad, both their Lives and their Writings sufficiently testify. What has been said of these first, the same may also be said of Paul, {d) who openly declared that he saw (fl) For thishad been sit/^cient, &C;] Chrysostom handles this Avgument at large, upon 1 Cor i. towards the end. (6) 'Lyirig andfalse Witness, &c.] Matt. xii. S6, ■ John viii. 44, 45. Eph. iv. 25. Rom ix. ]. 2 Cor. vii. 19. xi. 31, Gal. i. 20. Col. iii. 9- I.Tim, u 10. and ii. /.• Jam iii. 14. JUatt. xxii. 16. Mark xii. 14. LuJce xx. 21. John xiv. 16. Eph. v'. 9. and elsewhere. . (c) But only their Simplicity, Sec] Even Cehits. See Origen, Book I. (d) Who Openly declared, &c.] 1 Cor. xv. Q, 2 Cor. xii, 4. Add to this what Luke the Disciple of Paul writes, Acts ix. 4. S, 6. and xxii. 6, 7, 8. H Christ 9S Of TH£ TRUTH OF tHE {tookllj Cjirist' reigning in tieaven, (a) and he did not' want the Learning of the Jews, but had great JProspect of Honour, if he had trod the Paths oi his Fathers. But on thfe contrary,, he thought it his duty, for this Profession, to expose himself to the Hatred of .his Relations ; and to undeftak© difficult, • dangerousy and troublesome Voyages all over the World, and at last to suffer an ignomi- nious Death. SECT. vir. ? . ■ . - - . . The Objection drawn from the seeming Im-posdhUtji of a Resurrection answered. INDEED, nobody can withstand the Credibi- lity of so many and so great Testimonies, without saying, that a Thing of this nature is impossiblie to be, such as we say all Things that imply a Contra- diction are. (b) But this cannot be said of it. It (a) And lie did not want the 'Learning, &c.]J Acts xyni. 3. TJiere were two Gamaliels famous amongst the Hebrews on account of thpir Learning, Paul was the. Disciple of one of- tl\?m, who was very skilful, not only, in the Law,, but also in those ' Things that were delivered' by the Doctbrs. Sec Jspiphanius, (py But this cannot be said of it, &c.J See the seventh An- swer to the Objections concerning, the Resurrection, in the^ Works of Justin. " An Impossibility in itself, is one Thing ; "and an Impossibility in any Particular is another;: an Im- " possibility in itself is, that the Diagonal of a Square should " be cornmcnsurate with the Side ; a particular Impossibility " is j^ that Nature should produce an Animal without Seed'. " To which of these "t\vo Kinds of Impossibles do Unbelievers " compare the Resurrection ? If to the first their Reasoning " is false; for a new Creation ,is not like making the Diagenal" " commensurate with the Side ; but they that rise again,' " rise by a new Creation, If they mean a particular Impo^i- " bility ; surely all things are possible with God, tliough' " they may be impossible tor any else." Goncerning this Dif- ference of Impossibilities, see the learned 'Holes oi Mcdmwii'de^ ia his Guide to ihe Doubting, Part IIL Ch. 15. wight Sect, r.j CHRistiAN RELtGJtON. S9 might indeed, if any one should affirtn, that th6 same Person was alive and dead at the same 'Time : But that a dead Man should be restored to Life, by the Power of him who first gave Life to Man, (a) there is no Reason why this should be thought impossible. Neither did wise Men believe it to be impossible : For Plato relates it of [b) Er the Armenian ; (c) Heratlrdes Ponlicus, of a Certain Woman ; (^d) Herodotus, of Arhtaui ; and (e) Pht- iaroh, \a) There is fio Reason -mhy, &c.] All those who are skilfnl in the true f hilosophy, acknowledge that it is as hard to tinderstaiid how the F(ctus is formed in the Mother's Womb-, as how the Dead should be raised to Life; But ignorant Men are not at all surprised at the Things which they commonly see ; nor do they account them difficult, though they know not the Reasoa of them : Bui they think those Things .which thay never saw, are impossible to be done, though they are not at -all more difficult than those Things they see every Day. ' Le Clerc. (b) Er the Armenian &c.] The Place of Plato concern* iDg thisMatter, isiextant in his Tenth Book of Republics ^ trans- cribed by Emebins, in MslGospel Preparat^ Book XI. Chap. 33. The Report of which History is in Valerius Maximus, Book I. Chap. €. the first foreign Example. In the Hortatory Discourse among the Works of Justin ; in Clemens, Strom. V. in Origen, Book II. against Celsus ; in Plutarch, Sympo- siac. IX. 5. and in Macrubius, in the Beginning upon Scipio's Dream. (c) Heraclides Ponticus, &c.] There was a Book of his Concerning the Dead^ mentioned by Diogeties Ldertius in his Preface, and in his Empedocles; and by Galen in tlie Vlth. concerning the Parts that are affected. Pliny speaks thus of him. Book Vll. Chap. 32. " That noble volume of liera- " elides amongst the Greeks, of a Woman's being restored to " Life, after she had been dead Seven Days." And Diogenes Laertius, in the latter place, assigns her' thirty Days. (d) 'Herodotus, &c.] In.his Melpomene, See Pliny's Nat. Hist. Book VIII. Chap. 53. Plutarch's Romulus, and Hesi- chius concerning the Philosophers. (e) Plutarch, &c.] of Thespesius. Plutarch has this in his Discourse of God's deferring Punishment. sAnd Antylbis, concerning whom Emebius has preserved that Place oi.Plu- H 2 iarch. 100 OF THE TRUTH OF THE [Book. It. tar eh, out of another : which, whether' they were true or false, shews the Opinion of learned Men, concerning the Possibility of the Thing. The Truth of Jesus s Doctrine proved from his Resurrection. IF it be not impossible that Christ should return to Life again, and if it be-proved from sufficient Testimonies, such as convinced (a) Bechai, a Teacher of the Jews, so far as to acknowledge the Truth of it; and Christ himself (as both his own Disciples and Strangers confess) declared a new Doctrine, as by a Divine corjimand : It will cer- tainly follow, that this Doctrine is true; because it is repugnant to the Justice and Wisdom of God to bestow such Endowments upon him who had been guilty of a Falsity, in a Matter of so great Moment. Especially when he had, before his Death, declared to his Disciples, that he should die, and what Manner of Death ; and also that he should return to Life again ; {b) and that thesfe Things should therefore come to pass, that they might confirm the Truth of his Doctrine. .SECT. vm. Thc^t the Christian Religion exceeds all others. THESE Arguments are drawn from Matters of Fact ; we come now to those which are drawn tnrch, from his First Book of the &oul, in bis Frepar, Book XI. Chap, 38. and Theodoret, Serra. XL (a) BecHni, &C.J It were to be wished that Grotius had quoted the Place, for though his Reasoning, drawn from the Resurrection of Christ, does not want the Approbation of R. Bechai, yet perhaps the Jews might be affected with his Authority. Z^ Clerc. (b) And that these Things, &c.] See John xvii. Luke xxiv. 4.6, 47- from Sect. 8, 9.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION, 101 from- the Nature of the Doctrine; Certainly all Manner of Worship of God must be rejected ; (which can never enter into any Man's Mind, who has any Sense of the Existence of God, and of his Government of the Creation ; and wljo consi- ders the Excellency of Man-'s Understanding, and the Power of chusing moral Good or Evil, with which he is endued ; and consequently that the Cause, as of Reward, so oaj^jiftnishment, is in himself?) or else he must recave this Relia^, not only upon the Testimony of the Facts, wf^h we have now treated of; but likewise for the Sajce of those Things that are intrinsical in ReligioS j since there cannot be any produced, in any Age or Nation, whose Rewards are more^i^cellent, or whose Precepts are more perfect, or^ps Me- thod in which it was commanded to be propa- gated, more wonderful, V SECT. IX. The Excellency of the Reward proposed. TO begin with the Reward, that is, with the End proposed to Man; because, as we are used to say, that which is the last in Execution, is the First in Intention ; (a) Moses, in his Institution of the Jewish Religion, if we regard the express Con- dition of the Law, made no Promises beyond the good Things of this Life, such as a fruitful Land, abundance of Riches, Victory over their EnemieSi long Life and Health, and Hope of their Poste- rities surviving them. And if there be any Thing- more, it is only obscurely hinted, and must be col- lected from wise atid strong Arguing: Which is the Reason why many who professed to follow the (a) Moses, in his Institution, &c.] Deut. xi, and xx